"Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, what do they know?" The individuals in question head to the Korea Football Association hearing... Additional witnesses added

*This content was translated by AI.

The National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee added five additional witnesses, including regional football association presidents who defended former KFA President Chung Mong-gyu and criticized the K-Football Innovation Committee ahead of the hearing on current issues at the Korea Football Association.

According to NEWS1, the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held a plenary session on the morning of the 24th and agreed to add more witness appearances for the Korea Football Association hearing scheduled for the 30th through cross-party consensus.

The newly added witnesses include Seo Kang-il, President of Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Do Chuk-gu-hyeop (Chairman); Park Sung-wan, President of Chungcheongnam-do Do Chuk-gu-hyeop (Chairman); Baek Hyun-sik, President of Busan Metropolitan City Football Association; Kim Byung-cheol, former Chairman of Sports Korea Fair Trade Commission; and Park Ji-young, former Director of the Sports Ethics Center Lee (President). All five were selected at the request of the People Power Party. This comes just three days after the opposition party alone had adopted 15 witnesses, including former KFA President Chung Mong-gyu Jeon (Chairman) and former national team coach Hong Myung-bo, along with eight additional witnesses such as Park Ji-sung, a member of the K-Football Innovation Committee Gong Dong-wi (Director).

Among the newly added witnesses, Seo Kang-il, Park Sung-wan, and Baek Hyeon-sik (Chairman) are well known for strongly opposing the reform movement at the Korea Football Association that gained momentum after the 2026 North America World Cup group stage elimination disaster.

In particular, Seo Gang-il (Chairman) recently sparked outrage among fans by making insulting remarks toward football legends leading the K-Football Innovation Committee, such as Park Ji-sung and Lee Young-pyo, saying, "What do you know about running an innovation committee?" Even worse, Seo (Chairman) defended Chung Mong-gyu's Jeon (Chairman) 13-year tenure as a sacrifice and even justified controversies surrounding the pardon of match-fixing scandals, drawing criticism for being obsessed with protecting vested interests. This triggered a fierce backlash, with angry football fans immediately calling for his resignation via the Jeonbuk Football Association's free message board.

The newly added witness Baek Hyeon-sik (Chairman) also faced scrutiny for making remarks defending Chung Jeon (Chairman)'s re-election, while Park Seong-wan (Chairman) has consistently opposed restructuring through amendments to the association's bylaws, demanding only a by-election instead. Kim Byung-cheol Jeon (Chairman) had previously been embroiled in controversy over allegations that he received golf hospitality immediately after approving Chung Jeon (Chairman).

Meanwhile, attention is also focused on whether witnesses and additional witnesses will appear at the hearing scheduled for the 30th. Former coach Hong Myung-bo, who faced controversy over fleeing abroad after the World Cup elimination, has already returned to Korea and confirmed his attendance by stating his intention to face the issue head-on. In contrast, former KFA Technical Director Lee Im-saeng and others may not appear due to reasons such as assignments in overseas leagues. Additionally, members of the Innovation Committee, including Chairman Park Ji-sung who was added as a witness, have expressed their intention not to attend, stating they have nothing special to convey to the association.

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*This content was translated by AI.