'Employee Embezzles Over 8 Billion Won' Gimpo FC CEO's Resignation Rejected by Gimpo City

*This content was translated by AI.

A shocking revelation emerged that an employee of K League 2 club Gimpo FC embezzled over 8 billion won in public funds. In response, Hong Kyung-ho, CEO of Gimpo FC, who had vowed to take responsibility, reportedly had his resignation rejected.

According to reports from NEWS1 and others on the 6th, Gimpo City did not approve the resignation submitted by Hong Gyeong-ho (CEO) last month. Resignations must be approved by the mayor of Gimpo City, who holds appointment authority under personnel regulations. Since the facts of the public fund embezzlement case and the scope of investigation into related parties have not yet been finalized, it is understood that Gimpo Mayor Lee Gi-hyeong did not approve Hong (CEO)'s resignation.

Previously, a special audit conducted by Gimpo City last month revealed that employee A, who was in charge of Gimpo FC's financial accounts, embezzled over 5.8 billion won in public funds this year alone, sparking outrage. Moreover, it was discovered that the same employee had embezzled 180 million won in 2023 and between 2.3 billion to 2.4 billion won in 2025, bringing the total cumulative amount of embezzlement to over 8 billion won. It is understood that A used the misappropriated funds to purchase real estate in Japan and acquire three foreign-made vehicles. The only year in which no embezzlement was detected was 2024, reportedly because A was not involved in relevant duties at the time.

The fact that an employee of the club had been committing embezzlement almost every year since 2023, combined with the enormous amounts involved, caused a major uproar. Given that Gimpo FC is a community club operated with citizens' tax money, public outrage was even greater. Consequently, Hong Kyung-ho, CEO of Gimpo FC, issued an apology statement via the club's social media (SNS) on the 3rd, stating, "On July 18, I submitted my resignation to accept moral responsibility for this incident. Although my resignation has not yet been approved, my heart has already chosen the path of taking responsibility."

"Regardless of how the incident began, as the CEO responsible for the community club, I cannot be free from responsibility in management and oversight," said Hong (CEO). "Therefore, I chose to take responsibility rather than make excuses." He added, "The time and effort I dedicated to Gimpo FC, along with the support received, cannot cover up this mistake. On the contrary, I feel even more sorry and ashamed."

He continued, "Gimpo FC is not a club for any specific individual; it belongs to all citizens. Through this incident, I hope that Gimpo FC itself does not face rejection, nor do the players or staff members who are quietly fulfilling their roles on the field get hurt. While mistakes must be corrected, we must not let the future of Gimpo FC come to a halt." He also stated, "We will continue to fully cooperate with investigations and inquiries by relevant institutional investors. Through this incident, I sincerely hope that the accounting and internal control systems will be improved more transparently, allowing the club to regain the trust of citizens and emerge anew."

However, since Gimpo City rejected Hong Gyeong-ho (CEO)'s resignation, Hong (CEO) must continue in his position for the time being and cooperate with investigations and inquiries by relevant institutional investors. The case is currently under joint investigation by the police and a special audit by Gimpo City.

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*This content was translated by AI.