[NagaWorld FC official Instagram]
[NagaWorld FC official Instagram]

Lee Im-saeng, the former Korea Football Association technical director under police investigation over allegations of procedural irregularities in the appointment of national team head coach Hong Myung-bo, has been named technical director of a Cambodian professional football club.

The development creates what observers are calling a farcical situation: with the National Assembly pushing to hold a hearing on the KFA, both key witnesses — former coach Hong and former director Lee — will be abroad. Hong left for Los Angeles, where his family lives, on Thursday.

NagaWorld FC announced Monday on social media that it had appointed Lee as its technical director, calling him "the man who will shape the future of our football."

Lee is expected to oversee the club's entire technical operation, including player development, coaching systems and performance improvement.

Lee was at the center of the controversy surrounding Hong's appointment in 2024, when he personally met with Hong and offered him the national team head coaching position. At the time, Jeong Hae-seong, the former head of the national team performance enhancement committee, had already resigned, leaving Lee without formal authority — yet he pressed ahead with appointing Hong, a fellow Korea University alumnus, drawing criticism over the legitimacy of the process.

Lee's move to Cambodia is drawing particular scrutiny given that the National Assembly has been discussing the possibility of a hearing following South Korea's round-of-32 exit at the 2026 North America World Cup. If called as a witness, Lee would in principle be required to appear, but witnesses residing abroad may submit a written notice of absence and skip the hearing.

Football fans reacted with disbelief to the news.

Posts on football-related online communities ranged from "not even a word of apology" to "thought it was April Fools' Day" to "we told him to get out, and he went to 'NagaWorld.'"

Former national team goalkeeper Kim Young-gwang also weighed in, leaving a comment on a post about Lee's appointment on the football media outlet Today's Football social media page. Kim wrote: "Sung by Lee Seung-cheol: 'Just walk out the door'" — quoting a line from singer Lee Seung-cheol's song "Last Concert."

Kim had earlier made headlines on June 25 during a TikTok live broadcast, when he shouted "Hong Myung-bo, get out" while discussing South Korea's chances of advancing past the group stage after the team's loss to South Africa at the 2026 North America World Cup.

NagaWorld FC is a professional football club founded in 2001 and based in Kampong Speu province, Cambodia.


jshan@heraldcorp.com