Korean national football team manager Hong Myung-bo announces his intention to resign over the team’s poor performance during a press conference after the FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign at its base camp at the Chivas Valle Verde training ground in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 28.NEWS1
Former Korea men’s national football team manager Hong Myung-bo spent more than 14 million won ($9,500) at restaurants, hotels and other businesses near his home using a Korea Football Association (KFA) corporate credit card without submitting the proper documentation, records show.
Of the 37.42 million won Hong spent using the card between July 2024, shortly after he took charge of the national team, and May, just before the FIFA World Cup 2026, 14.06 million won went to businesses in Bundang District, Seongnam, Gyeonggi, where he lives.
The figures come from KFA corporate card records obtained Tuesday by Democratic Party Rep. Jin Sun-mee.
“The rules on corporate card use should be made as specific as those of other sports organizations, and the management system, which cannot even ensure proper disclosure, must be completely overhauled,” Jin said.
The spending included a hotel, a barbeque restaurant and a haejangguk (hangover soup)diner near Hong’s home. Records also showed payments worth hundreds of thousands of won at Bundang businesses on public holidays such as Children’s Day, Memorial Day and Liberation Day.
Under KFA guidelines, corporate card use is restricted on holidays, near an employee’s home and in areas outside authorized areas. Any unavoidable exceptions require documentation, such as records of a business trip or a written explanation.
The KFA said it did not receive such an explanation from Hong for the expenses charged near his home. It said, however, that the receipts listed attendees and their number and that usage was reviewed monthly.
The Korea Football Association headquarters, in Sinmun-ro, Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 1NEWS1
This is not the first time the association has drawn scrutiny over corporate card usage. The KFA issued a public apology in 2016 after officials were found using the cards for personal expenses.
Yet questionable spending has persisted, according to Jin's office, which reviewed KFA card records from January 2021 through July of this year and found 218 department store transactions totaling 26.03 million won and 300 gas station transactions totaling 51.88 million won.
Among these charges, former KFA technical director Lee Lim-saeng spent 546,000 won across three transactions at Lotte Department Store and Hyundai Department Store. Hong also spent 160,000 won at department stores including Shinsegae.
The KFA’s guidelines reportedly set no restrictions on corporate card use at department stores or children’s clothing retailers.
Hong pushed back against the report Wednesday, releasing a statement disputing claims he had misused the card.
"I only used the card within the designated purposes and limits set by KFA regulations,” Hong said. “Every expense was documented and settled with the association."
Former Korea national football team manager Hong Myung-bo arrives at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport on June 29.JOONGANG ILBO
“Most K League matches take place on weekends and holidays. It is standard practice for the coaching staff to go to stadiums on weekends and holidays to observe and assess players and hold meetings," he said. "All of the foreign coaches on the national team lived in Bundang District. The coaching staff used a shared office there for meetings and work, and meals were also eaten within the district.”
He also rejected the suggestion that restaurant payments were personal.
“When I visited hanwoo [Korean beef] and Chinese restaurants for personal reasons, I used my own card,” Hong said. “My personal spending there over two years nearly matched my corporate card spending, which can be verified through the card statements.”
At the haejangguk restaurant, he said personal card use was even more frequent and denied ever dining there alone on the corporate card.
He said he would submit supporting records at a hearing.
"It is very regrettable that this report interprets work-related spending as personal simply because it occurred near my home, without considering the working environment of the national team or the living situation of the coaching staff," Hong said. "I plan to prepare supporting documents so I can explain this at the hearing."
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [kim.hayoon1@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
