"Senior Reporter Hong Myung-bo took the lead alone" — The person in question: Is this a genuine escape to overseas employment? 'Mandatory Attendance' Hearing Faces Possibility of 'Cunning Non-Appearance'

*This content was translated by AI.

The paths of those responsible for leading the South Korean national football team to the tragic elimination in the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America and Mexico are diverging. While former coach Hong Myung-bo has declared a direct confrontation by expressing his intention to attend the hearing, Lee Im-saeng, who spearheaded the appointment of the coach as former Executive Director for Technical Affairs at the KFA, has taken up employment with a Cambodian club and is continuing to operate in stealth, raising doubts about whether he will actually appear at the hearing.

The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee has confirmed that it will hold a hearing on the Korea Football Association on the 22nd and is preparing to investigate suspicions surrounding the coach appointment process.

Although the hearing schedule is approaching, concerns persist regarding the possibility of key witnesses failing to appear. This is especially true because Lee Im-saeng, who was selected as a witness and stood at the forefront of appointing Coach Hong Myung-bo, is reportedly already settled in Cambodia immediately after South Korea's World Cup elimination.

Under current National Assembly Testimony and Expertise Act regulations, hearings do not have legal mechanisms to compel attendance like those used in national audits. There are concerns that witnesses residing abroad may simply submit a non-appearance statement and refuse to show up. This is why sudden overseas employment by the former executive director has drawn accusations of intentional escape from the hearing.

Some are raising concerns by citing the recent case where former Vice President Park Hang-seo submitted a non-appearance statement citing his appointment as coach of Thailand's second-division Kanchanaburi Power FC and his local stay schedule. However, in the case of former Vice President Park, his appointment to the club was already confirmed before the World Cup opened, making his absence natural. In contrast, the former executive director who hastily secured a position and left immediately after the World Cup disaster is likely to face accusations that this was a cunning maneuver to avoid the hearing summons.

In contrast, former coach Hong Myung-bo has chosen a direct confrontation. On the 9th, through a scholarship foundation, he issued an official statement saying, "Although I took on the heavy responsibility of being the national team coach, I failed to achieve the results that the people expected." He clearly expressed his intention to appear at the National Assembly hearing, stating, "If a hearing is held, I will not evade it but will attend and fully bear the responsibility as a coach until the end."

However, Lee Im-saeng, who directly led the appointment of former coach Hong Myung-bo, is also subject to the obligation to appear. Yet there are concerns that he may submit a non-appearance statement citing his overseas stay, schedule, or reasons for non-appearance and ultimately fail to show up.

Especially, the gaze directed at former Executive Director Lee Im-saeng is extremely cold. While other responsible parties left apologies or explanations in form even amid fierce criticism, the former executive director who led the entire appointment process disappeared without a single word of apology after the great disaster. His recent activities at private events drew public scrutiny, and he eventually departed to take up the position of Technical Director at Cambodia's Nagaworld FC without offering any explanation to Korean football fans.

Even though he quietly left Korea, the fans' anger has not subsided. Angry fans have flocked to the official social networking service (SNS) of the newly appointed Nagaworld club to pour out their protests.

The background of this boiling public opinion lies in the opaque actions shown by former Executive Director Lee Im-saeng during the coach appointment process and the perjury controversy at the National Assembly. He once appeared before the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee to claim his innocence with tears, but later was exposed for lying during the investigation process and suffered the disgrace of being reported.

At that time, the former executive director claimed in response to a question about an accompanying person during the meeting with the head coach at the National Assembly: "It was a bakery that Coach Hong Myung-bo frequently visited, so we had a conversation alone late at night." In official press briefings, he repeatedly emphasized that he acted entirely on his own will and decision, exercising full authority alone.

However, it was revealed that Vice President Choi Young-il was present at the actual meeting. When Vice President Choi admitted this, the former executive director's claim of a one-on-one meeting at the bakery was exposed as clear perjury. As controversy erupted, the former executive director suddenly raised the issue of his reputation and expressed his intention to resign with tears.

Former KFA President Jeong Mong-gyu, who served as the administrative head, is also under fire. Former President Jeong Jeon (Chairman) remained silent throughout his return journey after South Korea's tragic elimination in the World Cup group stage.

With former coach Hong Myung-bo confirming his appearance at the National Assembly and signaling a direct confrontation, it remains to be seen whether former Executive Director Lee Im-saeng, who is keeping silence alone, will use his overseas stay as an excuse and exploit legal loopholes to ignore the hearing until the end, or whether he will appear before the National Assembly and speak directly.

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*This content was translated by AI.