"Including Japanese Referees" Shock in Japan... Korean Football Association's 'Sexual Bribery of Foreign Referees' Allegations, 7 Unbeaten Games Under Spotlight

*This content was translated by AI.

The allegations of sexual bribery by the Korean Football Association against foreign referees have caused a major shock in Japan. Local Japanese media focused intensely on the fact that the list of individuals targeted for such treatment included Japanese referees.

Japanese outlet Ronspo reported on the 7th (Korean time), stating, "This is shocking. The Korean Football Association has been embroiled in a scandal alleging sexual bribery against foreign referees during World Cup qualifiers and other matches 15 years ago." It further added, "Twenty individuals were identified as targets across seven matches, including Japanese referees."

Earlier, according to a JTBC report on the 6th, documents prepared by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016 titled "Investigation Results on Corruption Involving Officials and Employees of the Korean Football Association" reportedly revealed that the association committed seven instances of inappropriate sexual bribery against foreign referees participating in national team matches from March 2011 to March 2012 over a one-year period.

The matches mentioned in the documents include three World Cup and Olympic qualifiers held domestically, along with four friendly matches, totaling seven games. South Korea recorded five wins and two draws in these seven matches where allegations were raised.

These matches began with an A-team friendly against Honduras on March 2011 (4-0 victory), followed by an Olympic team match against China later that month (1-0 victory), an A-team match against Serbia in June (2-1 victory), a 2012 London Olympics qualifier against Oman in September (2-0 victory), an A-team match against Poland in October (2-2 draw), a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Kuwait in February 2012 (2-0 victory), and a London Olympics qualifier against Qatar in March (0-0 draw).

It is reported that during these matches, treatment was provided to between two to four referees or one match supervisor.

Ronspo stated, "The Korean Football Association is known to have committed sexual bribery against more than ten foreign referees and others across seven national team matches held in South Korea from 2011 to 2012, including Asian qualifiers for the World Cup and Olympic qualifiers." It further noted, "Japanese referees were reportedly among those targeted."

It continued, "South Korea did not lose a single match in these seven games," adding, "Particularly noteworthy are the two Asian qualifiers for the 2012 London Olympics, where South Korea secured a bronze medal, and one Asian qualifier for the 2014 Brazil World Cup."

The allegations surfaced during the tenure of former President Jo Jung-yeon Jeon (Chairman), not under the regime of Jeong Mong-gyu Jeon (Chairman). The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's audit and discovery of relevant facts occurred in 2016, after Jeong Mong-gyu Jeon (Chairman) took office.

The Ministry reportedly reached this conclusion byly reviewing testimonies from multiple officials related to the referee department of the Korean Football Association, records of corporate card usage, and explanatory materials submitted by the association. However, details regarding sexual bribery involving foreign referees were not disclosed to the public at that time.

Representatives of the Korean Football Association explained, "Association documents are retained for five years, and since this incident occurred approximately 15 years ago, it is difficult to verify all current circumstances." They added, "Given the heightened social standards, we have implemented strict internal controls and management/supervision regarding corporate card usage, and established internal management guidelines that we adhere to."

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*This content was translated by AI.