According to Korean media reports, South Korean police have referred former Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu, former Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng, and former Executive Vice President Kim Jung-bae to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office on charges of obstruction of official duties through fraud. The three are accused of forging documents during the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo as national team coach, creating a false impression that the selection procedure was legitimate.

On the 22nd, the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Regional Investigation Division referred Chung Mong-gyu, Lee Lim-saeng, and Kim Jung-bae to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office without detention on charges of obstruction of official duties through fraudulent means. This occurred approximately three months after the case was transferred to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Regional Investigation Division.

The three are accused of improperly interfering with the work of the Coaching Improvement Committee, which has the authority to recommend the head coach to the KFA board of directors, and forging reference materials submitted to the board for this purpose. Specifically, the reference materials stated that former Coaching Improvement Committee Chairman Chung Hae-seong had made inquiries regarding the selection of a replacement coach following his resignation, but investigation revealed this was false. Additionally, the documents contained language stating that former Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng, who lacked the authority to select the head coach, "promoted the head coach selection process based on proper authority."

Police determined that Chung Mong-gyu and others, in light of prior public criticism regarding the fairness of the coaching selection process, forged the documents through deceptive means (actions that caused misunderstanding or illusion) to obstruct the board's work. Police stated: "Former President Chung Mong-gyu and others, due to prior public criticism about the fairness of the coaching selection process, inserted false information into the case materials reviewed by the board to create the appearance of a legitimate process during the selection of former coach Hong Myung-bo."

Police determined there was no evidence showing that former coach Hong Myung-bo directly interfered in the Coaching Improvement Committee or board's coaching selection process, and decided not to refer him for prosecution due to insufficient grounds for suspicion. Regarding other reported cases, including allegations that Hong Myung-bo received excessive annual salary and defamation claims related to disputes among national team players, police also decided not to refer him for prosecution due to insufficient evidence.

The Jongno Seoul Police Station began investigating a total of eight related cases reported since July 2024, but no action was taken during that period. Following South Korea's elimination from the World Cup, public attention to the investigation increased. President Lee Jae-myung subsequently issued a statement blaming the coaching staff, saying, "This is due to personnel failure." In July, police transferred the case to the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Regional Investigation Division, known as a specialized police department. Subsequently, the civic group "Common People's Livelihood Countermeasures Committee" filed additional complaints against former coach Hong Myung-bo and others, and the Seoul Metropolitan Police consolidated a total of nine reported cases for investigation.

In August, one month after taking over the investigation, police conducted a suspect interrogation of former coach Hong Myung-bo and conducted searches of the KFA in Cheonan and the Football Association Building in Jongno District, Seoul, obtaining Coaching Improvement Committee meeting records, audit materials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and mobile electronic data. During this process, police confirmed that KFA officials improperly interfered with the Coaching Improvement Committee's work and used consultation case files containing false information during the board vote. On the 26th of that month, police summoned and interrogated former Executive Vice President Kim Jung-bae as a suspect. On the 2nd of this month, former President Chung Mong-gyu was also summoned and interrogated. Additionally, police investigated 60 related individuals, including members of the Coaching Improvement Committee.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

Situs web AF kini hadir! Lihat berita lengkap, komentar, detail pertandingan, dan statistik di komputer Anda. Kunjungi: www.allfootballapp.com