Korean Football Association Apologizes Amid Scandal
The Korean Football Association (KFA) issued an apology this week regarding “inappropriate behavior” and various controversies after accusations surfaced about paying for “sexual entertainment” for a foreign referee.
The allegations reportedly date back to 2011 and 2012. Despite the KFA highlighting the age of these claims, it’s been a tough year for the association overall. The South Korean national team did not advance past the group stage in the FIFA World Cup, disappointing a fan base that includes several high-profile players from Europe’s elite leagues. Many fans voiced their frustrations, particularly targeting the former coach Hong Myung-bo for not achieving favorable results, recalling that he had been hired a decade ago without success. The backlash was so intense that even South Korean President Lee Jae-myung felt compelled to apologize for the team’s performance and promised measures to prevent such situations in the future. Reports indicate that Hong left the country and moved to California after the incident.
It should be noted that neither Hong nor the current leadership of the KFA appear to be linked to this scandal.
According to Australia’s ABC, while the KFA didn’t explicitly mention the “sexual favors” allegations in its statement, it acknowledged the recent inappropriate actions resulting from events connected to the World Cup. They vaguely referred to the turmoil faced by the association, implicitly acknowledging that such behavior is unacceptable.
The KFA stated, “Our association, which is meant to bring joy and excitement to soccer fans through striving for excellence and fair play, has unfortunately lost sight of its core purpose and entered a truly regrettable situation.” They emphasized that the outdated reports from over a decade ago do not depict the current actions and principles of KFA officials, pointing out that many staff members were not even aware of these historical incidents.
Furthermore, the KFA insisted, “We want to make it clear that no such inappropriate actions or misuse of corporate cards are occurring within the association at this time.”
These allegations, reported by Korean media outlet JTBC, claim that in 2016, a survey conducted by the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism suggested the KFA had spent considerable money on a corporate card at a “massage parlor” that purportedly offered “sexual entertainment” to foreign referees. Some reports labeled these establishments as “adult entertainment centers” located in Seoul, Changwon, and Ulsan. The incidents reportedly involved numerous foreign referees and took place prior to crucial matches for the national team. While JTBC has not confirmed that this “sexual entertainment” impacted game outcomes, questions about the reliability of results and referee decisions certainly linger.
A report from the Korea JoongAng Ilbo included a statement from an anonymous KFA official claiming that such corruption was apparently “common practice at the time.” The KFA later remarked to JTBC that while “an unfortunate incident may have occurred 15 years ago,” they have since implemented stringent internal regulations to ensure something similar doesn’t recur.
In response to the World Cup failure, South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism established a committee known as the K-Soccer Reform Committee in July. Co-chair Park Ji-sung acknowledged on Wednesday that the committee “completely failed” to address the 2011 massage parlor scandal, recognizing the ongoing challenges faced by the sport.
Interestingly, despite seeming somewhat unrelated, the recent allegations, amplified by the national team’s poor performance in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, have intensified public dissatisfaction with South Korean soccer. After winning only one match and suffering losses early on, the situation has reignited anger, especially regarding Hong’s controversial rehiring as coach in 2024. Many fans were upset over the KFA’s decision to employ a locally-based coach rather than considering international candidates seriously. This issue gained enough traction to spark scrutiny from the Korean National Assembly regarding Hong’s appointment.
To address these mounting concerns, the Ministry of Culture has designed a reform committee, with President Lee promising yet-to-be-determined initiatives aimed at enhancing the KFA’s performance. He expressed a sense of bewilderment at the team’s disappointing results, commenting that participating in the World Cup comes with accountability to the public and requires significant public resources.
Lee stated, “I urge the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism to investigate, analyze the issues, and implement measures to ensure that this does not happen again.”
