"K League city and provincial clubs have a 'deformed structure'... Football figures must change their mindset" — Former K Leaguer-turned-politician Im Min-hyuk delivers sharp criticism

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Im Min-hyuk (32), who played for a professional football K League citizen club during his playing career, sharply criticized the "deformed structure" under which K League city and provincial clubs are operated. He also argued that strict reviews, such as mid- to long-term plans for securing self-generated revenue, are necessary, rather than indiscriminate establishment of city and provincial clubs solely for politicians' achievements or job creation for football figures.

Im Min-hyuk appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" on the 21st, stating, "(The operation of K League city and provincial clubs) is actually difficult to call well-managed because the structure itself is somewhat problematic." He pointed out, "(Club) finances are provided by the city council or local governments regardless of circumstances, so budgets may be cut during this process. There are cases where cuts occur even when performance improves."

Im Min-hyuk said, "When self-generated revenue from ticket and merchandise sales increases, the city reduces its budget allocation. As a result, club staff actually do less work because there is easy money coming in." He argued, "Therefore, citizen clubs inevitably continue to flow in a very deformed structure. Citizen clubs are operated under a deformed structure where one can earn money more easily by not working."

He continued, "For example, DaeguFC is the most outstanding among citizen clubs, excelling at what could be called business. They earn about 3.5 billion won annually from tickets alone. However, since player salaries amount to approximately 8 billion won per year, even this team that is truly good at business cannot earn half of its total salary bill." He pointed out, "Moreover, DaeguFC attracts an average annual attendance of 10,000 spectators. More citizen clubs have attendances of only 1,000 to 2,000. They carry the problem of being unable to operate independently at all."

In response to the host's question, "Why do Local Governments create K League clubs despite this?" Im Min-hyuk answered, "When a club is established, football figures are happy because jobs increase." He added, "The political sphere can also view (club establishment) as an achievement."

He stated, "Three new teams participated in K League 2 this year, 2026. There were local elections in 2026, right? Therefore, it can serve as an achievement for politicians to show that they are 'doing something for the citizens.'" He added, "Ultimately, the interests of football figures seeking to increase jobs and politicians seeking to display achievements align, so citizen clubs are created regardless of the citizens' intentions."

He also voiced criticism regarding structural issues where political intervention is unavoidable and budget-related problems.

Im Min-hyuk said, "Ultimately, because the city council or similar bodies that provide more budget than citizens or fans are those one must watch out for, I believe this is where corruption begins." He pointed out, "In cases like Daejeon Citizen (2019), there was influence exerted in forms such as 'please include a certain player' or 'please let us test a certain player,' leading to corruption."

He also stated, "At GimpoFC, one employee embezzled 8 billion won. This is an unreasonable amount." He claimed, "(Using club budgets) they go on quite a few pleasure trips for training. Citizen club representatives go abroad for football training, but when viewed in terms of whether it helps football, players, clubs, or teams, I personally believe these things were not helpful at all during my playing days. Also, there is often talk that city Min Gu-dan-ui (CEO) changes after local elections as a reward appointment, which is an open secret in the football world."

He also explained the structural characteristics and poor environment of citizen clubs that he experienced directly as a player. After joining corporate club Jeonnam Dragons in 2017, he played for Daejeon Citizen, which was a citizen club at the time, in 2018, and then retired after playing for Cheonan City FC, also a citizen club, for two years starting from 2023.

He said, "During my time playing in Cheonan, after matches ended, people would come down to the stadium and start taking photos with players. We are players for the fans, yet we had no opportunity to meet them; instead, we had to communicate more with people from the sports council, city council members, or city hall officials. I experienced moments where I wondered if the roles were reversed."

He continued, "When I played in Cheonan in 2023, I really felt that they were not prepared. There was no player locker room in the dormitory. Because there was no locker room, players would gather together and change clothes in one room. Player diets should be considered most important, but there was no cafeteria either. Players just went out and gathered in small groups to buy food. Having had a playing career of nearly 20 years including amateur levels, Cheonan was the hardest."

Im Min-hyuk added, "Many citizen club players think, 'The team is struggling, but I will do well. At least I will perform well enough to be sold to another team.'" He added, "There are many big players who experience confusion or frustration over whether the team comes first or they come first, while trying to overcome these challenges."

To break this vicious cycle, Im Min-hyuk emphasized that football figures must ultimately change their mindset.

He stated, "The Korea Professional Football League is also, in the end, part of the football community. If football infrastructure continues to expand, jobs for football figures increase, which is ultimately good for them. However, increasing jobs for football figures and the overall development of the professional football industry are entirely separate issues." He emphasized, "Football figures must now change their mindset. Instead of worrying about immediate things like their own livelihoods, they should realize that these actions will eventually come back to take away their livelihoods because the industry is not healthy."

He continued, "(When reviewing club establishment) I believe self-generated revenue securing plans should be scrutinized most strictly. The league only checks how funds will be used when a club is established this year, but they must absolutely establish mid- to long-term plans for how to secure spectators and sponsor companies over the next 5 and 10 years." He added, "In cases like PajuFC, which participated this year, they are unable to pay players' salaries due to deficiencies in these areas. Because there are such major problems, these issues must be viewed comprehensively."

Regarding K League financial soundness regulations, he proposed new ideas. The intent is to apply differentiated recognition rates based on the type of club revenue, ultimately encouraging clubs to strive to earn more money independently.

He stated, "Currently, K League has a self-financial soundness regulation that allows only 70% of revenue to be used for player salaries." He argued, "If Local Government budgets are given a lower recognition rate, while other sources such as ticket and merchandise sales are recognized at higher rates, wouldn't clubs try harder to earn more money? I think the current deformed structure would then diminish somewhat."

After the interview, Im Min-hyuk added via StarNews, "Regarding former Korea Football Association Technical Director Lee Eum-saeng's submission of a reason for non-attendance at the National Assembly audit, along with the issue raised in the previous broadcast that 'there are no elders in the football world,' I also wanted to speak on the broadcast about not becoming a shameful senior. From various pleasure trips to attendance issues at national audits, I intended to express the hope that seniors in the football world would set an example for juniors and show self-responsibility, but I regret that I could not convey this due to time constraints."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original