Park Ji-sung, the co-chair of the K-football innovation committee, speaks during the committee's launching ceremony on July 6.KANG JUNG-HYUN
Former star footballer Park Ji-sung, the co-chair of the new football innovation committee, said that the committee’s key role is to provide a road map to “rebuild trust in Korean football.”
The K-football Innovation Committee was officially launched and held its inaugural meeting on Monday, during which members discussed its role and operating principles. Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Yoo Seung-min co-chairs the committee, and Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young also serves as a member.
“Today’s discussions focused on the committee’s role and how it should operate,” Park told reporters after the meeting. “Everyone agreed that many people from the football community should take part in rebuilding public trust [in Korean football] and that the next election for president [of the Korea Football Association] should be conducted through a democratic process.”
He added that the committee would guide the Korea Football Association (KFA) while KSOC would provide administrative support to the organization.
“As we recognized that the current system is no longer sufficient, we agreed that the association would actively review and consider the committee’s recommendations, with KSOC providing administrative support,” Park said.
However, the committee’s recommendations would not be binding.
“The committee does not have the authority to require that its proposals be implemented,” Park explained. “It primarily serves as an advisory body.”
Asked whether the innovation committee could be viewed as government interference, which FIFA prohibits, the former footballer said that the issue had been one of his first concerns.
Park Ji-sung walks into the launching ceremony for the K-football innovation committee on July 6.JOINT PRESS CORPS
“As someone who has played football, that was also the first thing that came to my mind, as such a situation should never happen,” he said. “However, the committee is not a body that can politically intervene in football.”
“What matters most is laying the groundwork for Korean football to regain the trust that it has lost from its fans,” Park concluded.
To ensure transparency, Culture Minister Chae mentioned during the committee’s launching ceremony on Monday that members were selected from those who do not plan to run in the next KFA presidential election.
“If someone joined this committee while intending to run for the [KFA’s] president, that would not be fair,” Park said. “Everyone on the committee decided to join after fully understanding that principle.”
“Under the current circumstances, what this committee can do is provide directions that the association is currently unable to offer and help restore public trust,” he added.
BY SHIN HYE-YEON [lee.taehee2@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.
