'Football Hearing' Set for July 22; Hong Myung-bo Says, "I Will Not Avoid Any Questions"

[Anchor]

The National Assembly has decided to hold a hearing to uncover the reality of South Korean football, which has faced intense criticism following its elimination from the North and Central America World Cup. Former Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu and former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo have been summoned as witnesses. Hong, who is currently staying in the United States, stated that he will attend and will not avoid any questions.

Reporter Pyeon Gwanghyeon has the story.

[Reporter]

During a plenary session led by the ruling party, members of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee criticized the attitudes of those responsible for the issues surrounding the overall management of South Korean football.

[Cho Gye-won / Democratic Party lawmaker (July 9): Former President Chung Mong-gyu, former head coach Hong Myung-bo, former technical director Lee Im-saeng, and other key figures involved in this incident are resigning one after another and fleeing abroad...]

The committee reached a consensus to hold a hearing regarding the KFA on July 22.

[Lee Jae-jung / Chair of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (July 9): Are there any objections to holding the hearing on Wednesday, July 22, at 10:00 AM? I declare it passed.]

Thirteen individuals, including former President Chung Mong-gyu, former head coach Hong Myung-bo, and former technical director Lee Im-saeng, have been selected as witnesses for the hearing.

Hong Myung-bo, who left for Los Angeles, USA, just two days after returning to Korea, released a statement expressing his intention to attend.

Hong apologized for causing disappointment and pain to the public, emphasizing that he would not avoid any questions at the hearing.

He also dismissed rumors of "fleeing," stating that the reason for his departure was to protect his family, whose safety had become a concern.

The KFA stated that all current executive members selected as witnesses are also scheduled to attend.

Ten individuals, including K-Football Innovation Committee Chair Park Ji-sung and former National Team Committee member Park Joo-ho, have been selected as references. National team captain Son Heung-min and player Hwang Hee-chan were also included on the list of references.

With active overseas-based players who are unable to attend due to their club schedules being named as references, there are growing concerns that the hearing may repeat the patterns of past sports-related hearings, which were often characterized by shouting and humiliation rather than uncovering the truth.

(Video reporting: Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Choi Hye-young | Graphics: Choi Jae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.