As national disappointment grows following South Korea's elimination in the group stage of the 2026 North American World Cup, police investigation has brought renewed attention to the lack of transparency in the appointment process of former national team coach Hong Myung-bo two years ago and allegations of abuse of power by former Technical Director Lee Yim-saeng, who led the personnel procedures with a position that "doesn't even exist in the bylaws," intensifying criticism of the Football Association.

On February 16, 2024, following the dismissal of former national team coach Gregg Berhalter, a Power Strengthening Committee was formed to appoint the next coach. However, questions about procedural legitimacy arose when the position of "Technical Director" was newly created and former director Lee Yim-saeng was appointed without amending the Korea Football Association's bylaws. Rep. Shin Dong-wook of the People Power Party and others raised concerns that the creation of Lee's position violated Article 82 of the Football Association's bylaws.

Former director Lee Yim-saeng began participating in the personnel process by attending the 7th Power Strengthening Committee meeting on May 20, 2024, before his official appointment. After his formal appointment as Technical Director on May 28, 2024, he took over the committee chairman's authority on June 30, before the official resignation date of August 1, following the resignation announcement by former national team Power Strengthening Committee Chairman Chung Hae-sung on June 28, 2024, and led subsequent procedures. At that meeting, it was known that a plan for Lee to take over the procedures was adopted while discussions on reorganizing the Power Strengthening Committee were excluded. However, the Sports Ethics Center investigation revealed that this differed from the facts.

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In this process, the lack of transparency in coaching appointments reached an extreme. On the night of July 5, 2024, at 11 p.m., it was revealed that Coach Hong Myung-bo's interview was conducted in a bakery in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province without observers or a questionnaire, amplifying public suspicion. This contrasted sharply with the European interviews, where 17 questions were used and three candidates were comparatively reviewed. In a decision document dated November 8, 2024, the Sports Ethics Center pointed out that "former director Lee did not sufficiently compare and review candidates and solely asked former Coach Hong to take the coaching position and made the final recommendation." Additionally, the Ethics Center's analysis that the FIFA Technical Director guideline corresponds to the role of selecting youth national team coaches also questioned the former director's extensive exercise of power.

This lack of transparency in personnel appointments resulted in criticism when the national team led by former Coach Hong Myung-bo recorded the worst performance of group stage elimination at the 2026 North American World Cup and returned home on June 29 last month. As the situation became serious, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crime Investigation Division launched a full-scale investigation. On July 9 and 14, 2026, police called in key witnesses including former footballer Park Ju-ho and a former member of the Power Strengthening Committee for questioning to determine the facts of the case. Legal circles are analyzing that the actions of former director Lee could be charged with obstruction of business if they deviated from proper procedures.

The significance of this police investigation is notable as it has transitioned beyond simple allegations to a stage where judicial authorities intervene to determine legal responsibility. Through the police investigation, there is dominant public opinion that the deep-rooted lack of transparency in personnel practices and allegations of abuse of power within the Football Association should be clearly revealed, and this should become a significant opportunity to restore public trust in Korean football's decline. Calls are growing for the Football Association, in light of this incident, to undertake transparent and democratic institutional improvements to prevent recurrence of similar controversies, and to pursue fundamental changes for the future of Korean football along with clarification of legal responsibility.