"No reason to go out..." Park Ji-sung skips hearing, delivers 'quiet rebuke' to the National Assembly by hitting an unrelated target [Samcheong-ro on-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Park Ji-sung (45), member of the K-Football Revolution Committee, announced that he will not attend the National Assembly hearing related to the Korea Football Association.

Committee Chair Park Ji-sung stated after concluding the second meeting of the Innovation Committee held on the 13th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul, that he would not attend the hearing when speaking with reporters.

While the schedule for the '2026 Park Ji-sung Cup U-12 International Youth Football Tournament' taking place on the same day as the hearing in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province, overlaps, he cited as the main reason that he has nothing to say regarding the Korea Football Association.

Committee Chair Park Ji-sung explained, "Although there is a youth tournament, I concluded that there is no need to go all the way to the hearing to speak since I have nothing to say related to the affairs of the Korea Football Association," adding, "There is no reason to go out." This implies that he has no grounds to attend as he did not work under President Jeong Mong-gyu's leadership during the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

The National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held a plenary session on the 9th and decided to hold a hearing on issues related to the Korea Football Association at 10 a.m. on the 22nd. The hearing was arranged to examine the operational status of the Korea Football Association and the process of appointing the national team coach, following the failure to qualify for the round of 32 in the North American World Cup, and to discuss measures for normalization. Accordingly, a list of 13 witnesses and 10 non-witnesses was adopted, including former KFA President Jeong Mong-gyu and former national team coach Hong Myung-bo.

However, most major football figures, including Committee Chair Park Ji-sung, are expected not to attend the hearing. Lee Young-pyo, an innovation committee member listed among the witnesses, also expressed his intention not to attend due to a scheduled broadcasting appointment on the day of the hearing.

Active national team players Son Heung-min (LA FC) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who were adopted as non-witnesses, will also not appear. Son Heung-min is unable to attend physically due to Major League Soccer (MLS) game schedules in the United States, while Hwang Hee-chan cannot attend due to preparations for the new season.

In response, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Im Oh-kyung, who had applied as a non-witness, withdrew his application within a day after comprehensively considering the players' game schedules and public criticism. Unlike witnesses, non-witnesses have no legal obligation to appear.

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*This content was translated by AI.