The Korean Football Association plans to expand its presidential election committee from under 300 members to more than 10,000 [1].
This shift represents a significant move toward democratizing the leadership selection process of South Korean football. By broadening the electorate, the association aims to reduce the influence of a small circle of officials and integrate the perspectives of those directly involved in the sport's daily operations.
The expansion follows input from former president Chung Mong-gyu and Park Ji-sung, the co-chair of the K-Football Innovation Committee. The current structure limits the election committee to within 300 members [1], a threshold that critics have argued restricts the diversity of leadership input.
Under the new proposal, the committee will grow to exceed 10,000 members [1]. This increase is designed to facilitate greater participation from professional players and on-field coaches, ensuring that the next president is chosen by a wider array of stakeholders [2].
Park Ji-sung said the expected scale of the recommendation will be more than 10,000 people [1]. The move comes as the association seeks to fill the vacancy left by the departure of former president Chung Mong-gyu [2].
The restructuring is being coordinated within the framework of the Korean Sports Council to ensure the transition aligns with broader national athletic governance standards [1]. By shifting from a limited committee to a mass-participation model, the association intends to create a more representative mandate for its future leadership.
“The Korean Football Association plans to expand its presidential election committee from under 300 members to more than 10,000.”
This expansion signals a pivot from a closed-door appointment style to a more inclusive governance model. By increasing the voter pool by more than 3,000%, the KFA is attempting to resolve long-standing criticisms regarding a lack of transparency and the exclusion of active athletes from decision-making processes, potentially altering the political dynamics of how football is managed in South Korea.
