K League Referees to Establish Self-Reporting and Whistleblowing System

K League referees, facing growing distrust, are set to establish a self-reporting and internal whistleblowing system for misconduct.

The Korea Professional Football Referees Association announced today (September 18) that it is pushing to set up a self-reporting and whistleblowing system to strengthen the fairness and transparency of professional football referees and recover the trust of the public and football fans.

The self-reporting and whistleblowing system will be overseen by Park Eun-jung, a lawyer and board member of the Referees Association, with Law Firm Young participating in receiving reports and tips, verifying facts, and conducting legal reviews.

If any problems are uncovered through this process, the Referees Association will pursue improvement measures in consultation with relevant organizations and stakeholders.

Once the reporting channel is finalized, the Referees Association plans to provide separate guidelines on the targets and scope of reports and tips, reporting methods, operational period, protection of identity and personal information handling policies, and processing procedures.

Recently, a controversy erupted after a YouTube channel run by football commentator Park Moon-sung released a recording in which a referee evaluator allegedly demanded that someone presumed to be the main referee make biased calls disadvantageous to a specific team in exchange for future match assignments ahead of a past K League match.

Board member Park said, "When allegations or issues are raised, rather than letting them pass, it is crucial to verify the exact facts and review necessary measures." Park added, "As a football fan and a legal professional, I thought about how I could contribute, and I will carefully and responsibly oversee this project to ensure objective fact-finding and responsible improvements."

(Photo provided by Korea Professional Football Referees Association, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.