South Korean Minister Calls for Major Football Association Reform

Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young called for a comprehensive reform of the Korea Football Association during a National Assembly hearing this week.

The demand for overhaul follows a period of poor performance in the World Cup, which has fueled public distrust in the nation's football leadership. Lawmakers are now pressuring the government to ensure the association's governance is transparent, and accountable to the public.

During the hearing held by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, Choi said that major reforms are required because public distrust has grown due to the World Cup slump. He said that the government is pursuing improvements to the association's governance and the presidential election system through the K-Football Innovation Committee, which launched on the 6th ^[1].

Despite the minister's call for change, the hearing was marked by tension over the quality of the government's preparation. Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties criticized the official report provided to the committee, noting it consisted of only four pages ^[2].

One lawmaker described the brief document as a "watered-down report," suggesting the government's approach to the crisis lacked depth and seriousness. The brevity of the report stood in contrast to the scale of the structural changes Choi described as necessary for the sport's future.

Choi said the K-Football Innovation Committee remains the central vehicle for these changes. The focus remains on restructuring how the association is led, and how its top officials are selected to prevent further declines in performance and public confidence.