Vice sports minister dispels concerns about gov't meddling in nat'l football federation

On September 2, South Korea's Vice Sports Minister Kim Dae-hyun reassured the public that a committee formed to oversee the national football federation is not meddling in the sport's operations. The K-Football Innovation Committee was established in July following South Korea's World Cup elimination. Initially, Chae Hwi-young, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was co-head alongside Park Ji-sung, the former national team captain.

However, Chae later stepped down, and Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, took her place. The committee's purpose is to discuss ways to improve South Korean football's global competitiveness, focusing on areas such as governance, youth development, and technology adoption. Since its inception, the committee has recommended increasing the KFA presidential election electorate size.

FIFA has requested updates on Korean football and emphasized the KFA's need for independence. Despite FIFA's recent visit to South Korea being postponed, Kim assured that the committee's advisory role will not be a concern for FIFA, as per Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the FIFA Statutes.