"Hong Myung-bo Senior, I Led the Way" Sudden Overseas Job After World Cup Disaster... Korean Football Leaders Face Daily 'Escape Controversy' [World Cup Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

No one in South Korea's football leadership took responsibility. Lee Im-saeng, the central figure behind the controversy over Hong Myung-bo's appointment as senior coach, continued deceptive maneuvers amid severe turmoil in Korean football and ultimately chose to flee to a foreign club for employment.

Cambodia's professional football club Nagaworld FC announced on the 6th (Korea time) via its official channel that it has appointed former Technical Director Lee Im-saeng as its new Technical Director. The club extensively highlighted the new director's credentials, including his experience as an AFC Pro Coach instructor and his participation in the 1998 France World Cup.

Coincidentally, news of the former director's overseas posting arrived immediately after Korean football faced a fierce backlash following the catastrophic group-stage exit from the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup. While former coach Hong Myung-bo left for Los Angeles, USA, just two days after his return amid intense criticism, and Jeong Mong-gyu (Chairman) also submitted a resignation letter, the former director similarly abandoned Korea and headed to Cambodia.

The irresponsible actions displayed by former Director Lee Im-saeng were foreseeable from the very beginning of the national team coach selection process. He is widely known as the person who took over after Jeong Hae-seong (Chairman)'s resignation in 2024 and led the appointment of Coach Hong.

At that time, the former director promised Coach Hong an annual salary of approximately 2 billion won, stating loudly, "I alone led the appointment of Coach Hong Myung-bo. Korean coaches should be treated no differently than foreign coaches." He praised Hong's asymmetric three-back tactics and wielded full authority. However, after facing criticism for appearing before the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee regarding unfairness controversies, he even shed tears while expressing his intention to resign.

Notably, during the interview process, it was revealed that former Director Lee Im-saeng brazenly lied to the National Assembly by claiming "we met and spoke alone," despite Vice Chairman Choi Young-il accompanying him, leading to his being reported for perjury. The person who drove the situation to a catastrophe chose to join a Cambodian club without offering even a single apology amid public criticism of the football community following the World Cup exit, completely deceiving football fans.

Former Coach Hong Myung-bo, brought by the former director, also resigned after leaving only a brief monologue statement lasting less than two minutes at the Mexico base camp, without any specific analysis or review of the crushing defeat, and has since been fleeing to his home in LA while facing intense criticism.

In addition, Jeong Mong-gyu (Chairman) also submitted a resignation letter after 13 years and five months, stepping down from his leadership position in disgrace. The Korea Football Association officially announced on the 6th via a press release that Jeong (Chairman) had resigned.

Jeong (Chairman) released a resignation statement but faced sharp criticism for a tone that emphasized his own achievements rather than showing genuine reflection. In the statement, Jeong (Chairman) wrote, "While undertaking the heavy responsibility of leading Han Chuk-gu-hyeop (Chairman), I ran with only the hope for the development and glory of South Korean football," using expressions such as "sometimes meeting expectations" to deliberately highlight past successes during his tenure.

Even in a situation where the worst disaster had collapsed the football world, he claimed "all glory and achievements belong to the players and fans," yet irresponsibly inserted his own contributions into the farewell message. Jeong (Chairman), who had been desperately trying to hide during various major disasters including the failure to qualify for the Olympic Games finals in 40 years, once again disappeared behind the scenes leaving only bitter excuses.

The key person responsible for leading the coach selection has fled to Cambodia; the commander he brought has escaped to his home in the United States; and the administrative head has thrown a resignation letter citing past achievements and maintained silence.

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*This content was translated by AI.