[Issue Plus] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's soccer association's audit results announced in the interim... "violating the procedure for appointing Hong Myung-bo."

■ Host: Lee Yeo-jin, anchor Jang Won-seok
■ Starring: Park Chan-ha, soccer commentator

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN News PLUS] when quoting.

[Anchor]
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the results of an interim audit today over the controversy over the appointment of the national soccer team coach.

[Anchor]
There were procedural problems from candidate recommendations to interviews, but he said it was difficult to invalidate coach Hong Myung-bo's contract, so I will look into it with soccer commentator Park Chan-ha. Please come in.

[Anchor]
In addition to Hong Myung-bo, the problem was confirmed in the process of appointing former coach Klinsman, who was a full-time coach, what problems were there?

[Park Chan-ha]
This announcement is the announcement of the results of the interim investigation. And only the part about the appointment of the director was announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In terms of the appointment of the coach, the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo was not the only problem, but the beginning of virtually all problems should be traced back to the time of Klinsmann's appointment. If we didn't appoint Klinsmann, when we look back. There's no such thing as an accident in the world.I.
If we hadn't appointed Klinsmann
, there wouldn't have been such a mess at the Asian Cup. And with Klinsman being replaced, our national team was run under a temporary coach system and controversy over the appointment of Hong was virtually unnecessary, so we have to go back to the time of Klinsman, the starting point of the problem. At that time, the suspicion was that the Korea Football Association passed the Korea Power Reinforcement Committee and appointed Klinsmann due to someone's self-righteousness. Didn't you just pick and appoint a coach Klinsmann without taking due regulations and procedures and without a process? I had such doubts.

However, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that it actually happened in this survey. That's why Klinsmann also said there was a problem with the appointment, and Hong Myung-bo also announced that he was appointed without following the rules and procedures properly.

To put it simply, when Klinsmann was appointed, the Power Reinforcement Committee was actually passed, which is a violation of procedures and regulations. And regarding the appointment of director Hong Myung-bo, the articles of association say this. The Korea Football Association (KFA) selects candidates for coaches and interviews them and sends the final candidates to the Korea Football Association. When looking at the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo, whether the Korea Football Association appointed him as the most obvious candidate is ambiguous now, and going back to the 11th meeting, it is said that it is a problem because a person who does not have the authority to appoint a coach was appointed without the authority to appoint a coach.

[Anchor]
Former coach Klinsmann said the problem began there. If you ask if there would be a hint in former coach Klinsman's interview, isn't this what worked as a force? Former coach Klinsman met with President Chung at the Qatar World Cup after he was replaced, and jokingly said he wanted to coach the Korean team, but didn't this actually happen? Did you start with that problem?

[Park Chan-ha]
It was a doubt at the time. And it was a reasonable doubt under the circumstances. Because I've talked a lot to the media since Klinsman was appointed, but Klinsman was already a manager. And when I looked into the contents of the teams that were in charge, the results, and how they looked as a coach, I was never suitable as a coach for the Korean national team. However, it turns out that Klinsmann's story was true to some extent.

[Anchor]
In the process of appointing Hong Myung-bo, Chung Mong-kyu, president of the association, ordered to meet the second and third-ranked foreign coaches first instead of Hong Myung-bo, who was the No. 1 candidate, but the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism would not have had procedural problems without such orders. That's how I'm judging.

[Park Chan-ha]
I think we need to look at the content a little more.Ma said, "The most problematic thing in the appointment of Hong Myung-bo is whether Lee Im-saeng, the technical director, and the technical chairman, inherited the authority in the face of the resignation of the chairman of the power reinforcement committee. However, there is no information that Lee Im-saeng, the technical director, and the technical committee chairman have been delegated authority. The chairman is not allowed to hold a concurrent position.

If so, the Ministry of Culture and Sports said so because there is no objective situation where it can be considered that the authority is transferred only after it is approved through the board of directors. The power reinforcement committee selected candidates and ranked first, second, and third. It's also important who you meet first.I don't think the order is that important when Ma says that he actually has to meet everyone once in a while.

[Anchor]
Isn't the minutes the part that's at issue right now? Yesterday, the Korea Football Association released the minutes of the 10th meeting of the Korea Power Enhancement Committee, saying it followed the procedure, but why did it disclose the 10th meeting when the 11th question was originally the first?
[Park Chan-ha] I think we released the minutes of the 10th meeting because we continue to deny the contents of the 11th session. I don't think the Korea Football Association released the minutes of the 10th meeting to deceive the public. I think it would be a little more comfortable to think that the current level of problem awareness of the Korea Football Association remains there.

The process of disclosing the minutes of the 10th meeting is also absurd. On Monday, national team coach Hong Myung-bo complained of his frustration in the process of announcing the national team list and said he would like the minutes of the 10th meeting to be released. Then the Korea Football Association released the minutes of the 10th meeting as if they were waiting, and that was Tuesday.

If the problem recognition level only discloses the minutes of the 10th meeting, all problems will disappear, and it will end. That's what I'm thinking. But denying the 11th meeting is also a problem.In fact, if you look at the minutes of the 10th meeting, the contents are also problematic. It's not like we're picking the first place in the ideal World Cup to choose the national team coach and the soccer coach.

Looking at the contents, we need to decide who is the right coach for Korean soccer and what style of coach we need and select the coach candidates that match it. That's the normal process, and I think that's the normal process and process, but even if you look at the contents a little bit, you don't know if this is a popularity vote or which soccer team's coach is selected.

[Anchor]
As such, there are many problems in the appointment process, but the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism seems to have decided that it is not enough to invalidate the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the national team coach itself. What's the reason?

[Park Chan-ha]
Since it was the result of an audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism is not an investigative agency, a constitutional agency, or a legal agency, is it? That's why I think the Ministry of Culture and Sports just made a presentation as much as possible. And we also checked the results of the last Badminton Association audit, but the best presentation, audit results that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism can make are recommendations and opinions.

I think we made the best decision because we don't have the right to impose any sanctions by force. And in general, there were problems with procedures and regulations, so many people say that the appointment of a director itself should be invalid, but I think the contract is another matter.

That's why this issue is a little more complicated, and for this to be essentially invalid, the appointment of the director will be invalid only when the illegality of the director's appointment is revealed, but I think it has been announced so far because the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is not a place to check something.

[Anchor]
There was also a problem with Cheonan Football Center. The government subsidies of 2.1 billion won in 2022 and 5.6 billion won last year were executed in violation of the law, what is this about?

[Park Chan-ha]
There is a high possibility that severe sanctions will be imposed separately from the appointment of a director or this case. This is because the Korea Football Association is not an organization that operates only with their own profits, but is a place where taxpayers' money is paid. That's why taxes have to be useful, regardless, so if you're going to get the tax and you're going to spend it on something, but you're not spending it on something else, that's the problem.

This has now turned out to be a problem for a few cases by the Ministry of Culture and Sports. And I will investigate this further and announce it.Ma said that if the issue turns out to be true, he will take these steps, such as canceling the decision to grant subsidies, ordering the return, and sanctions.

[Anchor]
However, the Korea Football Association refuted the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's interim audit announcement. It originated from a misunderstanding of the scope of the association's president's job and the role of the power reinforcement committee. What is this about?

[Park Chan-ha]
We need to look at the articles of association of the Korea Football Association. In Article 26 of the articles of association, the president of the association oversees the business of the association. And in Article 47, matters requiring urgency can be handled by the chairman. In addition, Article 52 states that the committee is an organization that advises and advises the operation of the national team, and its members are appointed from outside soccer experts and consulted the association, not a decision-making body.

So, based on this, we have usually taken normal procedures, so we say that we did not violate procedures and regulations and appointed directors while following them, but if you think about it easily, there are no detailed rules and detailed rules. That's why we've been doing what we've been doing and we'll continue to do what we've been doing. That's why I think the Korea Football Association's point of view is not to make a problem.

[Anchor]
It's a little ambiguous if you listen to what the Korea Football Association just said. So in a way, isn't it up to the president of the association? I think this is what you think, how do you rate it?

[Park Chan-ha]
I think there's plenty of room for that interpretation.

[Anchor]
And the final audit results will be released at the end of this month, so what do you think will be the level of demand for disposition such as reprimand for those involved?

[Park Chan-ha]
As I said, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is not an investigative agency, a legal institution, or a constitutional institution, so there is a set line. The level of sanctions will also be set. And when it comes to the appointment of a director, as I said, there is a problem. I think it's reasonable to see this as a separate problem, whether it's a violation of the contract. But I don't know how much more things related to Cheonan Football Center and other issues will be revealed.There is a high possibility that the issue will become serious, such as the misappropriation of state funds.

[Anchor]
And among the things protesting against the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism audit, director Lee Im-saeng went near director Hong Myung-bo's home and waited for hours to meet him was not a preferential treatment because it was a way of meeting foreign leaders compared to interviewing them. What do you think about this?

[Park Chan-ha]
As I told you, since problem recognition is stopped there, some problems continue to arise now, so you have to accurately diagnose this problem and diagnose it properly to make the right prescription. This is the normal procedure, but I think the diagnosis continues to make errors, leading to incorrect prescriptions. Whenever something happened to the Korea Football Association, there were many times when the team continued to take care of it in a different direction from the fans' complaints and public opinion. The same goes for this issue.

Even if it's a plausible excuse or a good packaging, this angry atmosphere can be soothed. But it's like continuing to fuel the fire, so the problem won't end easily.

[Anchor]
As the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism emphasizes Chung Mong-gyu's unfair intervention, the tip of the sword is on Chung Mong-gyu, the president of the association. Can Chung push ahead with his fourth term in this situation?

[Park Chan-ha]
There is one way to end this problem the fastest. Chairman Chung Mong-kyu will give up his fourth term and head coach Hong Myung-bo will resign. If those two things happen at the same time, we can quickly end this controversy. However, no one can guarantee how long this problem will continue because we continue to be undecided on those two things.

Chairman Chung Mong-gyu did not say that he would serve in the fourth term, but he never said that he would not serve in the fourth term. That's why, on the one hand, we keep going with irrational numbers. That's what I think.

However, the Ministry of Culture and Sports has talked about it and continues to express an atmosphere that some decision is imminent, but only the Korea Football Association cannot manage the fourth term for the president of the Korea Football Association with tweezers. It is necessary to see what choice the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will make because it is a problem that connects all of these issues such as the consecutive terms of the chairman of the Korea Sports Association.

[Anchor]
But if Coach Hong Myung-bo resigns now, wouldn't it be a problem in the World Cup qualifying round?

[Park Chan-ha]
As things stand now, coach Hong Myung-bo's continued leadership of the national team will cause problems as soon as he leads the team. And if you go through the process of appointing a new director, it can be a problem. But when we have to make a choice, we have to choose which one will help our national team, our soccer, and the World Cup in the future.

When I see that, I think the viewers of this news will know better which one is better.

[Anchor]
From the commentator's point of view, who has extensive knowledge of the soccer world, what do you think is the biggest reason why Chairman Chung and Coach Hong cannot step down?

[Park Chan-ha]
Since I'm not a party, I think it's hard to answer why I don't put down my seat. So sometimes I think about it. I'm thinking about it, but I don't think I would have received it in the first place. And now, I think I have to make a choice, but I urgently need a diagnosis and prescription to solve the problem.

[Anchor]
First of all, the World Cup qualifying round is also scheduled for the 10th. What's the atmosphere like inside?

[Park Chan-ha]
The atmosphere inside is known to be that the atmosphere of the national team in September was not very bad. So on the other hand, the players are not at fault for this. The players have to come to the national team with a good heart, and they already play with a lot of pressure and pressure on the results of the national team, but the players have to be able to play in a comfortable state.

However, without being able to do so, we played two games in September. And there was even some emotional exhaustion between unnecessary players and fans. If those things do not end in the future, if they are not resolved, there is a high possibility that such problems will continue.

However, there are rumors that the players' atmosphere in September was not very bad, so of course, we need to check it.On the other hand, I think it's fortunate. The players want to come and play well. And I'm also upset because I want to meet good tactics and good strategists and play good soccer and produce good results, but the national team keeps going in the opposite direction.

[Anchor]
In such a noisy situation, it would be like adding fuel to the house on fire, but captain Son Heung-min got injured in his hamstring, so he was selected.It's unclear whether Ma will participate or not. How do you view it?

[Park Chan-ha]
We need to watch the situation. Son Heung-min was injured while playing in the Europa League last week. So I didn't accompany Manchester United away game on the weekend. Tottenham has another Europa League game this week, and we have to see if they will play in that game and we have to watch the situation until the league game on the weekend. First of all, he was included in the national team because he said he was okay, but it is unclear at this time whether he will be able to accompany the national team.

It remains to be seen whether he will be able to play in the national team even if he is accompanied. But what we have to look back on is that we won the nuclear power game against Oman. However, in the end, it was thanks to the performance of Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min that made the final result of the game.

If the national team does not have Son Heung-min, if we have to play two games in October in the third round of the World Cup qualifying round without Son Heung-min, it is true that the national team's power is greatly reduced and concerns are growing.

[Anchor]
We are playing Jordan at 11 p.m. on the 10th. After that, he returned home immediately and played Game 4 against Iraq in Yongin at 8 p.m. on the 15th. What do you expect of the game?

[Park Chan-ha]
First of all, the first game is away to Jordan. Jordan is one of the teams that made us cry in the Asian Cup, so we need to avenge it. However, the situation in the Middle East is unusual, so I think it's a burdensome expedition for us due to various reasons. One thing that is fortunate is that Jordan's key players are missing two players, Al-Naimat and Altamari.

As for our national team, it is a power leak that has missing Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in. On the one hand, it's a fortunate loss of opposing power considering it's an away game. On the contrary, what we need to be more careful and more prepared is actually the home game against Iraq.

Iraq is with coach Karas from Spain, who was recently nominated for our national team coach. We also had a warm-up match just before the Asian Cup. Of course, we played without a lot of key players from our national team, and we could see that the Iraqi national team was reborn with a fairly solid power.

Also, looking back on how he played at the Asian Cup, I could see him fighting against the opponent with a very good strategic tactic. That's why Jordan's away game is a Middle East game, so we have to be careful and careful because it's an away game. The match against Iraq will have a solid opponent's strength, so we have to analyze well and we need to prepare much more than in September.

[Anchor]
I see. It was soccer commentator Park Chan-ha. Thank you for saying that.