이재명 대통령 “월드컵 32강 탈락은 조직·인사 실패” 문체부에 재발 방지·개선 대책 마련 지시 [뉴스플레이리스트] / 채널A

Regarding the South Korean national soccer team's elimination from the Round of 32 at the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "The failure to qualify for this World Cup appears to be due to failures in organization and personnel management," and announced that he would push for reforms in sports administration. On the afternoon of the 28th, President Lee said via social media, "As a former honorary general manager of a professional soccer club and a die-hard 'Red Devil' myself, I feel beyond bewildered by this unexpected result; I am dumbfounded." He continued, "It has been proven once again that personnel matters are everything," pointing out, "If incompetent people are selected as commanders by prioritizing 'your side and my side' over ability, the outcome is obvious." He further emphasized, "The reason shoddy personnel appointments are possible—those that fail to distinguish between public and private matters and prioritize private interests over the public good—is because it is difficult to monitor, check, and hold accountable those with the authority to make appointments." He stressed, "In all organizations, democratic composition and control, as well as the alignment of authority and responsibility, are crucial." President Lee stated, "Establishing democratic leadership in the private sector and a system of objective oversight and checks are key national agendas of this administration." He added, "I instructed sports organizations, such as the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the Korea Football Association, to adopt a direct election system involving all relevant sports figures, rather than an indirect election by a small number of delegates, and I understand that this is being implemented well." He further added, "Building a strict oversight and check system to ensure transparency, fairness, and objectivity in operations, and holding those responsible accountable for their actions and consequences, is also an important task." President Lee remarked, "The failure to qualify for the World Cup finals, which left the public feeling disheartened, appears to have been caused by failures in both organization and personnel management." He urged the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to "analyze the exact circumstances and causes of this situation and meticulously prepare measures to prevent recurrence and facilitate improvement, given that a significant amount of taxpayer money and state support is invested in World Cup participation." He added, "I am deeply apologetic for causing deep disappointment to the public with this absurd incident," and stated, "I will swiftly push forward with reforms in sports administration to ensure that such an incident never happens again." #Soccer #LeeJaeMyung #WorldCup #RoundOf32 #HongMyungBo #SonHeungMin #FIFA #SouthAfrica #ChungMongKyu #Mexico #CONCACAFWorldCup #KoreaNationalTeam Copyright Ⓒ Channel A. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction, redistribution, and use for AI learning are prohibited.