South Korea Police Investigate KFA Over Coach Appointment

On Thursday, South Korean police conducted search and seizure operations at the Korea Football Association (KFA) offices as part of an investigation into the appointment of former coach Hong Myung-bo. The investigation focuses on allegations of “obstruction of business” related to Hong’s recruitment.

Hong, who resigned in June after South Korea's early exit from the World Cup, faced scrutiny over his decision-making, including leaving star player Son Heung-min on the bench during a crucial match. The KFA is under investigation for potential violations of internal rules regarding Hong's appointment.

President Lee Jae Myung criticized the leadership within the KFA, attributing the team's failure to “incompetent people” promoted due to “loyalty and factionalism.” Hong was summoned before lawmakers in July, where he accepted responsibility for the team's poor performance and faced questions about his reported salary of 3.8 billion won (US$2.6 million), which he disputed without providing a corrected figure.