대표팀 감독에 협회장 선출 논란도…‘축구협회’ 수사 어디까지? [뉴스in뉴스] / KBS 2026.07.16.

The CONCACAF World Cup is now in its final stages, with preparations for the finals in full swing. However, the South Korean national team was eliminated in the group stage, and since then, controversies surrounding former head coach Hong Myung-bo and the Korea Football Association (KFA) have continued. We will examine the issues that have surfaced and the current status of the police investigation with reporter Lee Do-yoon from the Social Affairs Desk. Reporter Lee, let's start by looking at the controversy surrounding the KFA and the status of the investigation. [Reporter] Yes, following the Korean national team's elimination from the World Cup group stage, questions regarding former head coach Hong Myung-bo's responsibility and qualifications have arisen. Although former coach Hong resigned immediately after the elimination, controversy has erupted again regarding the background of his appointment, which had been an issue in the past. In fact, a civic group filed a complaint against KFA officials two years ago as well. The core of the allegations is that high-ranking KFA officials, including former KFA President Chung Mong-kyu, improperly intervened in the process of appointing former coach Hong, and that there was a breach of trust regarding the payment of the coach's salary. However, controversy arose regarding the sluggishness of the investigation as the police failed to reach a conclusion for over two years. The police have transferred this case from the Jongno Police Station in Seoul to the Financial Crimes Investigation Unit of the Metropolitan Investigation Division and are conducting the investigation directly. [Anchor] Weren't suspicions raised not only regarding former coach Hong Myung-bo but also regarding the election process of Association President Chung Mong-kyu? [Reporter] Yes, allegations of election fraud when former President Chung Mong-kyu was elected last January came to light through a KBS report. To discuss this, I need to explain the Football Association's election method. The Football Association does not use a "direct election" system; instead, it conducts elections through an "indirect election" system where an electoral college of around 200 people selects the president. However, the core of the allegations is that a close associate of former President Chung contacted this electoral college and pressured them to vote. They even implied that if former President Chung were elected, they would receive various benefits related to official duties. The individuals who contacted the electoral college were executives and officials of the Football Association, such as instructors and evaluators. Let's listen to the recording obtained by KBS. [Electoral College - Referee Instructor: "(I am contacting you because you had a missed call.) Mr. XX, do you know me? Did you receive training from me? (Yes, that is correct.) Then it will be easier for me. XX, the votes came out this time, right? (Yes.) Support Chairman Chung Mong-gyu. Money only circulates if someone who runs a business runs the association..."] [Referee Evaluator: "In your case, you can try playing in the N League, K3, or even K4. If you say you want to do it, I can help you."] [Anchor] Specifically, why and what makes this kind of election campaigning problematic? [Reporter] First of all, it is a violation of the presidential election management regulations established by the Korea Football Association. According to the regulations, only the candidate themselves and three campaign staff members are permitted to campaign, and strict restrictions are placed on anyone else engaging in such activities. However, it has been determined that the association executives and board members who participated in the conversation you just heard were not official campaign staff. In effect, unqualified individuals have been campaigning. [Anchor] Is it true that this contact wasn't just a one or two-time phone call? [Reporter] Yes, a Football Association executive made remarks containing such circumstances during a conversation with the electoral college. One board member stated that he traveled across the country to meet with the electoral college. We covered the electoral college for the refereeing sector, and he even made remarks suggesting he had contacted all 15 members assigned to that sector at the time. If this is true, it should be viewed as him actively jumping into the campaign. Let's listen to it directly. [Korea Football Association Referee Committee Chairman / Voice altered: "I traveled around for 20 days. Ten days for the first round, and for the second round, after meeting you, I went to Namyangju, marked the whole country, Tongyeong, Hapcheon, Jeju... If I meet just one more person, that makes fifteen plus one person."] [Anchor] How, however, did these people, who are not qualified to campaign, know who the electoral college members were? [Reporter] Yes, how they knew who the electors w...