Signal for improving the election method of the Korea Football Association... National Sports Council votes to expand the electorate → Early application of the amendment possible

*This content was translated by AI.

The Korean Sports Council has decided to significantly expand the electorate starting from the election for the 43rd president in 2029. It also made it possible to apply the amendment early. This can effectively serve as a signal for improving the election method of the Korea Football Association.

On the 16th, the Korean Sports Council held its 2026 Lim Si-dae (Rep.) general assembly at Olympic Parktel in Seoul Songpa-gu and unanimously approved an amendment to revise Article 24, Section 2 of its bylaws regarding "Election of the President." The amendment abolishes the lottery procedure for the campaign management committee and expands the scope of the body that constitutes the presidential election apparatus (electorate). All officers and delegates of member sports organizations, excluding recognized organizations, as well as all athletes registered in the Sports Council system, will now be included in the electorate.

Until now, the election for the president of the Korean Sports Council was criticized for being an indirect election that granted voting rights only to delegates, selecting a four-year term president. Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sports Council, has been pushing to expand the electorate and introduce direct elections since taking office. According to the Yoo (Chairman) announcement on this day, if the direct election system is introduced, the number of electors for the Sports Council will increase from about 2,200 to approximately 92,000—a staggering 41-fold increase.

This amendment is scheduled to take effect starting from the 2028 regular general assembly. Member sports organizations must separately negotiate details such as the composition of electors and voting methods, considering characteristics by sport or region, but the basic principle is the expansion of the electorate. The amendment will be reflected in the elections for member sports organizations at their 2028 regular general assemblies and in the simultaneous local elections for metropolitan and provincial sports councils starting from the fourth term of elected officials in 2030.

However, if an early application of the amendment is deemed necessary, it may be applied earlier than 2028 through consultation with the Korean Sports Council. This comes amid growing expectations that the election method for the Korea Football Association, which must elect a new president following the resignation of Chairman Jeong Mong-gyu, will undergo significant changes.

According to NEWSIS, Yoo Seung-min (Chairman) met with reporters after the amendment passed and explained, "The provision allowing for early application of this election amendment was made with the Korea Football Association in mind. The Football Association is receiving public attention, and there are many wishes from people. I hope football can be normalized as soon as possible."

Furthermore, the Korean Sports Council plans to discuss a regulation requiring that "a new president must be elected within 60 days of a vacancy" through its board meeting at the end of this month. This provision is also included in the bylaws of the Korea Football Association. Recently, the K-Football Innovation Committee mentioned promoting a restructuring plan to allow sufficient time for the presidential election rather than being rushed by this deadline.

Meanwhile, the Korea Football Association previously stated, "We will take a proactive stance on various discussion items being promoted by the Innovation Committee and make efforts to reform and improve the system. Going forward, we plan to proceed with related tasks without any delays, comprehensively considering the results of the Innovation Committee's discussions, legal judgments, and realistic situations."

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*This content was translated by AI.