The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Thursday it has decided to appeal a first-instance administrative court ruling issued on October 23 regarding the outcome of a special audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
After deliberation, the board concluded that it was necessary to seek a higher court's judgment once again on both the fact-finding and legal interpretation aspects of the case.
Vice President Lee Yong-soo, who chaired the meeting in place of President Chung Mong-gyu — an interested party who recused himself from the discussion — said, "Despite our decision to appeal, we take the court's first-instance ruling seriously and feel a deep sense of responsibility to respond to the stern demands of football fans." He added, "However, this appeal is not meant to use the World Cup as a shield or to stall for time. It is the association's carefully considered decision to seek additional judgment within the framework of legal procedures."
Separately from the appeal, the KFA plans to continue its efforts to strengthen administrative transparency and pursue internal reforms, while also doing its utmost to support the World Cup, which is just over a month away.
Earlier, in November 2024, the culture ministry announced the results of its audit of the KFA and called for severe disciplinary action of "suspension of qualifications or higher" against Chung and other key officials.
After the ministry rejected its objection, the KFA filed an administrative lawsuit in January 2025 seeking to overturn the ministry's measures, along with a request for a stay of execution.
Thanks to the court's approval of the stay of execution, Chung was able to run for a fourth term and was elected in February last year by an overwhelming margin over other candidates. The stay of execution was finalized by the Supreme Court in September last year.
However, the 5th Administrative Division of the Seoul Administrative Court, presided over by Chief Judge Lee Jeong-won, ruled against the KFA on October 23 in its lawsuit against the culture ministry seeking to cancel the notification of the special audit results and the required measures.
If the ruling is finalized as is, Chung and other leadership figures will find it difficult to avoid severe disciplinary action.
Meanwhile, the board also deliberated and approved the appointment of Kim Eun-jung, former head coach of Suwon FC, as the new manager of the Olympic national team, which he will lead through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The appointment was conducted through an open recruitment process in which manager and coach applied together as a team. Following evaluation by the National Team Strengthening Committee and external members, the team of former Suwon FC manager Kim Eun-jung and former Suwon FC coach Kim Tae-min received the highest assessment and was recommended as the top candidate. Pending the finalization of their contract following board approval, they will lead the team starting from the June call-up.
As a coach, Kim Eun-jung was part of the staff that won gold at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, the 2020 AFC U-23 Asian Cup, and reached the quarterfinals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He later took over as head coach and led the team to the semifinals at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, and served as manager of Suwon FC through last season.
Coach Kim Tae-min, who was appointed alongside him, previously served as an assistant coach under Park Hang-seo with the Vietnam national team. He joined the U-20 national team led by Kim Eun-jung in 2022 and contributed to the semifinal finish at the 2023 U-20 World Cup, later supporting Kim at Suwon FC as well.
