Park Ji-sung, co-chair of the K-Football Innovation Committee and a FIFA subcommittee member, speaks at the committee's launch ceremony held at Seoul Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on July 6. [Yonhap]
Park Ji-sung, co-chair of the K-Football Innovation Committee and a FIFA subcommittee member, speaks at the committee's launch ceremony held at Seoul Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on July 6. [Yonhap]

Park Ji-sung, chair of the K-Football Innovation Committee, said Monday he would not attend a National Assembly hearing on the Korea Football Association scheduled for July 22.

Park briefed reporters on the results of the committee's second meeting, held Monday at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Asked whether he would appear at the hearing, Park said flatly, "I will not attend." He added that beyond a youth tournament run by the foundation, he had nothing to say about the football association. "There is simply no reason for me to go," he said.

Innovation committee member Lee Young-pyo had earlier indicated he would also skip the hearing for similar reasons.

The National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee voted at a plenary session on Thursday to summon 13 witnesses, including former Korea Football Association president Chung Mong-gyu and former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo. It also designated 10 people, including Park, as reference persons. However, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Lim O-kyung, who had sought to include Son Heung-min (LAFC) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton) as reference persons, withdrew the requests a day later after facing a wave of public criticism.

Witnesses are required to appear at a hearing, but reference persons are not.


paq@heraldcorp.com