South Korean law enforcement has launched a direct probe into one of the country’s most high-profile sporting controversies, executing search and seizure operations Thursday at the headquarters of the Korea Football Association (KFA) as part of an investigation into improper practices surrounding the hiring of former men’s national team head coach Hong Myung-bo.
The raid comes on the heels of widespread public outrage and political scrutiny following South Korea’s devastating early exit from the 2026 FIFA World Cup, a tournament where the squad was widely billed as a “golden generation” with elite talent plying their trade at top European clubs, including Tottenham Hotspur icon Son Heung-min, Bayern Munich star defender Kim Min-jae and former Paris Saint-Germain playmaker Lee Kang-in.
A police spokesperson confirmed to Agence France-Presse that financial crime investigators are focusing on allegations of obstruction of business tied to Hong’s 2024 appointment. Local Korean media reports indicate authorities are examining claims that senior KFA leaders violated internal association rules by improperly interfering in the hiring process to secure Hong’s selection.
Hong, 57, stepped down from his post in June shortly after South Korea crashed out of the group stage of the expanded 48-team World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The team’s elimination was sealed by a shocking 1-0 defeat to South Korea in their final group match, a result that left fans furious. Hong’s controversial choice to bench Son Heung-min for the entire first half of the do-or-die match drew particular condemnation from supporters, who jeered the coach and chanted “Hong out!” when the squad returned to Seoul’s airport.
Scrutiny over the hiring process had lingered since Hong was first appointed in 2024, but pressure for a formal investigation exploded after the team’s failure to advance to the tournament’s knockout round of 32. In late July, Hong was summoned to testify before a parliamentary committee, where he accepted full responsibility for the underwhelming performance but declined to confirm reports that his annual salary reached 3.8 billion won (approximately $2.6 million), a figure that would place him among the highest-paid national team coaches globally. Hong called the reported salary figure incorrect but refused to release the actual amount.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has publicly tied the World Cup failure to systemic problems in KFA leadership, blaming poor results on “incompetent people” elevated to senior roles and alluding to nepotism, factionalism and loyalty-based hiring that has corrupted governance at the top of South Korean football. To date, the KFA has declined to issue any formal comment on the investigation or the allegations when contacted by AFP.