Former South Korean national football team coach Hong Myung-bo has directly refuted allegations regarding the misuse of corporate cards, which were reported by a media outlet yesterday.

According to the report, Hong spent 14.06 million won out of a total of 37.42 million won in corporate card expenditures in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do—near his residence—between July 2024 and May of this year.

The Korea Football Association guidelines restrict the use of corporate cards on holidays, near one's residence, and in remote areas outside designated jurisdictions, requiring supporting documents or explanations for unavoidable usage.

Hong released an official statement today to counter the report point by point.

Regarding the report that he used corporate cards for 31 transactions on public holidays over a two-year period, Hong explained that these activities took place during weekend matches to directly observe K League players, which is one of the key duties of a national team coach.

He strongly refuted claims that he spent 14.08 million won using corporate cards in Bundang-gu, near his home.

Revealing the residential locations of foreign coaches, including former national team coach Joao Aroso, he explained that he used a shared office in Bundang to hold meetings with them, and meals were simply consumed in Bundang-gu as a result.

Regarding the use of corporate cards at a Korean beef specialty restaurant, a Chinese restaurant, and a gukbap (soup and rice) restaurant, he drew a line by stating, "I used my personal card when going for personal matters," adding, "I express my regret that my official use was interpreted as personal use simply because it was close to my home."

He added, "We plan to prepare these supporting documents so that they can be explained at the hearing."

Previously, the Football Association stated that Hong had recorded attendees and the number of people on receipts and reviewed the usage details once a month.

(Reported by Kim Jiuk | Video by Lee Yu-jin, Design: Lee Jung-ju, Produced by SBS Digital News)