SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Police raided the Korea Football Association’s offices Thursday as part of an investigation into alleged irregularities in the 2024 appointment of Hong Myung-bo as South Korea’s national team coach.
Investigators searched the KFA headquarters in Cheonan, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Seoul, and the KFA House in central Seoul, looking for evidence that officials improperly intervened in the hiring process.
A police investigation began shortly after Hong’s appointment but had stalled this summer after nearly two years without a conclusion. It gained renewed attention amid public anger after South Korea was eliminated in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup.
Hong, who had also led the team at the 2014 World Cup, stepped down after the tournament, as did Chung Mong-gyu as federation president. Both appeared before a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul in July.
Former KFA technical director Lee Lim-saeng reportedly offered Hong the job at a bakery near the coach’s home.
South Korea’s sports ministry said in 2024 that Lee’s meeting with Hong did not constitute a formal interview and that the KFA had breached its own hiring rules. The ministry, however, found no evidence of illegal conduct.
“When I received the offer, I thought they had all taken the proper steps,” Hong said at the parliamentary hearing. “People may think things were not so transparent, but I never once asked for any special treatment.”
According to domestic media reports, police questioned Hong on Tuesday.
Hong was captain of the South Korea team that reached the World Cup semifinals in 2002, when South Korea and Japan co-hosted the tournament.
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