"Jeong Mong-gyu (Chairman) appointed by Hong Myung-bo's order" — Why is Lee Im-seong, who exposed this, smiling? What was the reason for his surprising appearance on Southeast Asian social media?

*This content was translated by AI.

Lee Im-seong, former executive vice president in charge of the technical division of the Korea Football Association (KFA), who left behind the responsibility for the disastrous elimination of the South Korean national team from the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America group stage, has been seen in Cambodia's professional football scene. While domestic public opinion was boiling over, he skipped his National Assembly hearing under the pretext of seeking employment abroad and is now continuing his activities overseas with a bright smile.

Recently, former KFA executive Lee Im-seong appeared smiling brightly in a video posted on Nagaworld FC (Cambodia)'s official social networking service (SNS), showing the team checking into their hotel.

According to the Cambodian Premier League website, Nagaworld is preparing for its opening match in two weeks and has recently begun preparations for the new season by holding internal practice matches.

Nagaworld, where former executive Lee Im-seong was appointed as technical director, finished fifth last season. The Cambodian Premier League consists of a total of 11 teams.

While the South Korean national football team was eliminated from the World Cup group stage, Nagaworld announced in early July that former KFA executive Lee Im-seong would join as the club's technical director. The club officially appointed him, highlighting his extensive resume as an AFC professional coach instructor, his record as a member of the 1998 France World Cup national team, and his coaching experience with Singapore Home United and Suwon Samsung.

However, when news spread that the person responsible for driving Korean football to the brink of collapse had left for another country without offering even a single apology, the patience of domestic soccer fans exploded. Perhaps mindful of the critical public opinion, Nagaworld's official SNS comment function was disabled, but the club's official YouTube channel, where comments are open, was completely overrun by Korean fans shooting down the former executive in their comments. Viewership, which had previously hovered around a few hundred, surpassed 1,000, and sharp protests and mockery poured into the comment section: "You told him to leave, and he really went to Nagaworld," "Is this the team that hired someone who fled without even apologizing for the World Cup disaster?" and "Make sure you come back for the hearing."

Former executive Lee Im-seong faced fierce criticism even abroad over his irresponsible and unilateral actions during the appointment process of the Bae Gyeong-e-neun (CEO) team's head coach. After former KFA executive Jung Hae-sung resigned in 2024, Lee continued the work of the Power Strengthening Committee despite having no official authority, unilaterally leading the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as head coach.

At the time, he claimed to have been granted full authority by Jeon (Chairman) and argued for a transparent procedure, but controversy over an unfair appointment arose. When he appeared before the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism to answer questions about the issue, he shed tears and announced his intention to resign after disputes erupted over whether committee members had given their consent. Later, it was revealed that although Vice Chairman Choi Young-il accompanied him during the interview process, Lee stated, "We met and talked alone," leading to his being reported for perjury.

The South Korean national team under Hong Myung-bo, whom Lee unilaterally pushed through, ultimately ended in a historic disaster on the World Cup stage with one win and two losses, finishing 34th overall. Shortly after, former head coach Hong departed for his home in the United States following his resignation, and Jeon (Chairman) also stepped down. Lee evaded public scrutiny by continuing to travel secretly before choosing to flee to a Cambodian club without offering even a single apology.

In particular, former executive Lee Im-seong drew further public outrage recently by reversing his past statements and joining a lawsuit. Earlier, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the results of a special audit of the KFA at the end of 2024, recommending severe disciplinary action against Jeong (Chairman), Vice Chairman Kim Jeong-bae, and former executive Lee due to serious procedural violations in the appointment process of head coach Hong.

In response, earlier this month, former executive Lee submitted an application for intervention in a lawsuit to the Seoul High Court through his legal representative, claiming that unlike the Ministry's audit findings, there existed handwritten records made during the interview with head coach Hong. In this process, Lee's side claimed that after interviewing the three final candidates, they conveyed Hong's acceptance of the position to Jeong (Chairman), who then instructed, "Then make it Hong Myung-bo as head coach," and subsequently received specific work instructions from Vice Chairman Kim regarding the announcement of his appointment and contract proceedings. This amounted to retracting his earlier boastful statement at the time of the appointment announcement: "I alone led the appointment. I will take full responsibility."

Before joining the lawsuit, former executive Lee also failed to appear at the National Assembly hearing. After the World Cup elimination, when the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Sports and Tourism held a hearing, former executive Lee submitted a non-attendance form citing overseas employment and did not show up. His side explained that they finally accepted Nagaworld's offer on June 12, the day the Korean national team defeated Czechia, but his act of fleeing to another country while avoiding the very venue where the truth needed to be clarified stood in stark contrast to former head coach Hong Myung-bo, who stayed at his U.S. home and personally appeared at the hearing.

During the hearing, former KFA executive Jung Hae-sung testified that "after narrowing down the three final candidates, I was entrusted with the authority to determine the ranking and decided on head coach Hong as the first choice," while committee members criticized that "the process of appointing a head coach with an annual salary exceeding 2 billion won through a bakery interview itself represents the extreme of unfairness." However, due to former executive Lee's non-appearance, the core details could not be interrogated. Furthermore, it is reported that circumstances were even uncovered suggesting he attempted to destroy evidence, such as replacing the phone he used immediately after the World Cup group stage elimination with a new one.

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*This content was translated by AI.