Unprecedented 'disregard for the National Assembly' → "They criticize referees when we lose" The protagonist of the Korean football controversy, an irresponsible resignation... 'Disappearing like a fugitive,' a tragic end

*This content was translated by AI.

While the person at the center of the chaotic officiating administration and cartel allegations announced their intention to resign, strong criticism is mounting that they abandoned their post like a fugitive to escape surging condemnation without any on-site improvements or sincere apology—a "irresponsible exit."

The Korea Football Association announced on the 3rd that "Moon Jin-hee Shim Pan-wi (Director) submitted a resignation letter this afternoon due to personal reasons."

Under the KFA's bylaws, an officer's resignation takes effect immediately upon submission of the resignation letter, meaning Moon (Chairman) officially stepped down as of today. The association added, "The organization will operate under an acting vice-chairman system until a new executive team is established." In less than a week after the hearing, Shim Pan-wi (Director) submitted a resignation letter and left their post with an arrogant attitude and sophistry that provoked intense outrage at the National Assembly.

The problem is that Moon (Chairman)'s resignation was not a result of reform or reflection within the refereeing community, but rather a surprise resignation aimed at evading the fierce public criticism following the hearing incident. Earlier, on the 30th of last month, Moon (Chairman) appeared as a witness at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing, sparking controversy by answering questions with hands in pockets and using language bordering on informal speech toward lawmakers.

At that time, when Lee Jeong-moon, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out the low status of Korean referees who have failed to produce a single World Cup referee for 16 years despite sending 170 referees to this year's World Cup, Moon (Chairman) gave an absurd answer that "our country's structure leads people to criticize referees when they lose, so no one wants to become a referee," drawing public outrage. When Lee (Rep.) reiterated that "South Korea has not been able to send its own referees to the World Cup since 2014," Moon (Chairman) consistently blamed the system and made excuses.

During questioning about allegations of a refereeing cartel, Moon (Chairman)'s unreasonable attitude continued. Kim Jae-won, a lawmaker from the Rebuilding Korea Party, presented data showing that referee evaluators and training instructors were concentrated on specific close associates, strongly criticizing: "Referee assignments have been monopolized by certain individuals. How can it make sense for those who participate in the assignment deliberation committee to decide their own assignments? Isn't this a typical cartel and the boss of the refere mafia?"

As Moon (Chairman) continued answering with an indecisive attitude without reflection, Cho Gye-won, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, shouted, "Sit up straight. Answer politely. This is the hall of public will." In response, Moon (Chairman) confronted Jo (Rep.), saying, "Don't get involved in that from morning," directly opposing the National Assembly member's legitimate criticism, and also received a stern warning from Lee Jae-jeong, Moon Che-wi (Director).

At that time, Kim (Rep.) stated, "There are too many reports that Shim Pan-wi (Director) is obsessed with creating first-class referees for their own people through an unfounded positive track. The case has been covered up for 1 year and 2 months without even discussing disciplinary action. It really smells bad and makes one want to vomit," demanding a comprehensive audit.

While the head of the organization made sophistries at the National Assembly blaming referees for losses and threw in their resignation letter to flee, the long-mentioned controversy over referee communication breakdown erupted again.

Suwon Samsung faced significant damage throughout the match with incomprehensible officiating decisions, including no video assistant referee (VAR) review even after key attacker Hayes had his chin struck by an opponent's elbow inside the penalty box during the Hana Bank K League 2 2026 Round 20 away game against Chungbuk Cheongju held at Cheongju Sports Complex on the 1st.

Even just before the end of the match, Suwon seemed to achieve a dramatic comeback victory when Dubitskas's header found the net, but the referee called a foul and disallowed the goal. The moment the three points changed to one, the Suwon team became extremely agitated and approached the referee to strongly protest.

The referee's authoritarian behavior only added fuel to the fire. An absurd situation occurred where club front office staff who stepped in to prevent clashes between players and referees were themselves ejected. A Suwon club official present at the scene, after separating players from the referee, approached politely requesting an explanation: "We need to hear the reason to convey it to the players." However, the referee replied, "It was a foul, so the goal was disallowed," then asked, "Who are you?" and immediately pulled out a red card as soon as the official identified themselves as club staff. Suwon has submitted an official inquiry regarding these incidents.

Outside the stadium, Suwon fans angry at the decisions blocked the stadium exits, leading to chaos with over 30 police officers urgently deployed. Fans only dispersed after news spread that the referee had secretly returned home through another route.

The irresponsible exit of the head who appeared before the National Assembly with an arrogant attitude and evaded responsibility with a single resignation letter was exactly like the chaotic behavior of the refereeing team on the field until just before. This is why distrust and anger toward the Korean football refereeing community have not subsided at all, even after the head announced their intention to resign.

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*This content was translated by AI.