Text Messages Exchanged with Chung Mong-gyu Exposed... Questioned About Who "Senior Chung" Is

[Anchor]

Meanwhile, during today's (the 30th) hearing, text messages exchanged between former Korea Football Association (KFA) President Chung Mong-gyu and a lawmaker were revealed, sparking controversy. Representative Yoon Yong-keun of the People Power Party was captured sending a text message to former President Chung that read, "I apologize for not being able to consider you more." Criticism poured in, questioning whether former President Chung had mobilized his personal connections to approach a hearing committee member.

Reporter Jeong Yunsik has the details.

[Reporter]

Today's National Assembly hearing on the Korea Football Association was stirred by a news report capturing the smartphone screen of Representative Yoon Yong-keun, a hearing committee member belonging to the People Power Party.

Around 1:50 p.m. today, text messages exchanged between Representative Yoon and former KFA President Chung Mong-gyu were revealed.

Representative Yoon told former President Chung, "I was contacted by Senior Chung yesterday," and "I apologize for not being able to take better care of you." In response, former President Chung replied, "Thank you for looking out for me," and "I will greet you at another occasion, not a setting like this."

Democratic Party lawmakers grilled former President Chung, asking if he had mobilized his personal connections to approach the hearing committee members.

[Lee Jae-jung / Democratic Party Lawmaker (Chairperson of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee): What kind of favors were you trying to ask for if you knew someone? What kind of favor did you ask?]br>
[Chung Mong-gyu / Former KFA President: I have asked if anyone 'knew someone.' I asked things like 'What kind of questions will be asked' or 'Is there anything I should prepare in advance.' I asked that to answer well.]

[Yoon Yong-keun / People Power Party Lawmaker: There was nothing exchanged like that whatsoever. Personal matters are personal, and public matters are public. So I proceeded with all my prepared questions as planned...]br>
Former President Chung expressed regret over the controversy, but refused to comply with demands to reveal the identity of the "Senior Chung" mentioned in the text messages.

[Chung Mong-gyu / Former Kfa President: Do I have an obligation to tell you? Is there a legal obligation? Or it's a matter of my privacy, so I cannot judge whether I must tell you that. It is just someone who is currently not working.]

(Video by Shin Dong-hwan | Video Editing by Nam Il | Photo courtesy of Seoul Shinmun)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.