Gov't pledges major football association reforms after disappointing World Cup collapse
President Lee Jae Myung and several other officials were especially blunt in their criticisms of the KFA, with some calling for "reconstruction" and "surgery" to get the national team back on track.
President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a meeting with his top aides at the Blue House in Seoul on June 25.NEWS1
The government moved swiftly against the Korea Football Association (KFA) after the national team's dismal FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign, vowing sweeping reforms and accountability for what President Lee Jae Myung called a failure of leadership and personnel.
"This shocking result goes beyond disappointment for me as a [supporter of the national team]," Lee wrote on X Sunday after Korea's elimination from the tournament was confirmed. "It once again proves that personnel decisions determine everything."
"If favoritismis valued more than competence and unqualified people are appointed to lead, the outcome is entirely predictable," he added. "Korea's failure to advance beyond the group stage is a failure of both the organization and its personnel."
Lee also apologized for the "deep disappointment" the result had caused the public and pledged to move quickly with reforms to Korea's sports administration to ensure such a failure is not repeated.
Lee said he had already instructed sports organizations, such as the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the KFA, to replace their current indirect election system with direct elections involving all eligible members of the sporting community.
"I understand the process is moving forward," Lee wrote. "I ask the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to thoroughly examine the causes of this failure and prepare comprehensive measures to prevent it from happening again."
Chae Hwi-young, minister of culture, sports and tourism, speaks at the start of the launch ceremony for the Korean delegation for the 2026 Winter Olympics at Seoul Olympic Parktel in Seoul on Jan. 22.YONHAP
Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young also wrote a post on Instagram the same day in response to Lee’s instruction, stressing once again that the government will swiftly move to sweeping reforms to the football administration.
"We will establish an independent committee of experts to conduct a thorough investigation into the causes of this disastrous result, and those found to have demonstrated incompetence or negligence during the process will be held fully accountable," Chae said.
He also vowed to strengthen government oversight to ensure the KFA operates transparently and fairly under the leadership of football professionals.
"The association must faithfully fulfill its proper role and responsibilities," Chae wrote. "We will establish systems that allow for effective public oversight and accountability."
Chae added that the government would invest in rebuilding Korean football from the ground up, including youth development, improving referee training and expanding support for advanced technology infrastructure.
Led by Hong Myung-bo, the Korea national football team failed to advance to the round of 32 at the expanded 2026 World Cup after finishing No. 34 overall — its worst-ever result at the tournament.
Korea national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo announces he will take responsibility for his team's disappointing performance and step down during a press conference at the team's base camp at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 28.NEWS1
The side failed to build on the progress of the 2022 tournament, when the team made the Round of 16, despite this year's tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams.
After the poor showing, Hong announced his resignation as manager of the Korean men's national football team during a press conference at the team's base camp at Chivas Valle Verde in Zapopan, Mexico, on Sunday.
Politicians across party lines directed criticism at both Hong and the KFA.
"It is difficult to have any hope for the future of Korean football when the KFA has demonstrated neither due process, accountability nor self-reflection," said Rep. Song Young-gil of the ruling Democratic Party (DP) of Korea, who is running for party leadership ahead of its Aug. 17 national convention, on Facebook on Saturday.
Other DP lawmakers also called for sweeping changes on Sunday, with Rep. Cho Gye-won saying that "Korean football needs major surgery."
"We don't need remodeling. We need reconstruction," Rep. Park Beom-kye said, while Rep. Choi Ki-sang questioned when Korea would be capable of reaching the World Cup semifinals again.
Criticism also came from the main opposition People Power Party.
Rep. Kim Seung-su, the party's floor vice leader, said Sunday the KFA’s conduct "deserves criticism" and pledged to hold it accountable to restore public trust in sports administration.
Korea's Lee Kang-in is seen after a 1-0 loss to South Africa in their final Group A match at the FIFA World Cup 2026, at Monterrey Stadium in Mexico on June 24.KANG JUNG-HYUN
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had also investigated the KFA in 2024.
The ministry launched an audit in July that year, following controversy over Hong's appointment, and that November, it requested severe disciplinary action against KFA President Chung Mong-gyu.
The association challenged the ministry's decision in court and won a temporary injunction suspending the disciplinary measures. Chung later secured a fourth consecutive term as chairman.
This year, in April, the Seoul Administrative Court ruled that the ministry's disciplinary action was justified and dismissed the association's lawsuit.
Following the ruling, Chung announced last month that he would step down after the World Cup ends.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
