South Korean police raided the Korean Football Association headquarters on Thursday amidst allegations related to the manipulation of the appointment process of Hong Myung-bo as head coach of the men's national team for 2024.
The South Korean news agency "Yonhap" reported that police seized files and obtained data from the smartphones and computers of senior officials during the raids, which included the association's headquarters in Cheonan, located about 90 kilometers from the capital, Seoul, as well as other offices in the capital.
These allegations are not new; observers at the time noted that Hong did not undergo the formal application procedures required before his reappointment for a second term in July 2024.
Hong (57 years old) had also failed during his first term as coach of the South Korean national team at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when the team did not advance to the knockout stages.
The case gained new momentum this summer after South Korea exited the World Cup, held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, in the group stage for the second time under Hong's leadership.
Hong resigned shortly thereafter, but this step was not enough to quell public outrage.
Criticism extended to the highest levels, with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol calling for accountability from those responsible.
In a lengthy statement he published on the platform "X," Yoon wrote, "I was not only shocked by this unexpected outcome, but I find it completely unacceptable."
He added that this failure, "which disappointed citizens, seems to stem from shortcomings in organization and human resource management," primarily criticizing the Korean Association's decision to appoint Hong as the national team coach.