Former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo testifies at a National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing on Korea Football Association affairs on Thursday. [Yonhap]
Former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo testifies at a National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing on Korea Football Association affairs on Thursday. [Yonhap]

Former national football team head coach Hong Myung-bo denied all allegations surrounding his appointment, including the so-called "late-night bakery interview" controversy, claims of an outsized salary and accusations that he helped place associates in Korea Football Association jobs.

Hong appeared Thursday as a witness at a National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing, where ruling and opposition lawmakers pressed him on each allegation. He denied them all.

People Power Party lawmaker Bae Hyun-jin said that in 2024, Lee Im-saeng — then the KFA's technical director, who had no authority to recommend a head coach — met Hong at a bakery at 11 p.m. in what amounted to an interview, after which Hong was appointed without any formal interview or presentation. "Aren't you ashamed in front of your juniors and people in football that someone could become head coach through a 'bakery interview'?" she said.

Hong did not deny the bakery meeting itself, but drew a line at the suggestion of impropriety. "When the offer came, I believed the normal procedures had been followed," he said. "I understand the public may see it as lacking transparency given that we met near my home, but I never asked for any preferential treatment or personal benefit."

Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Jeong Jun-ho asked whether Hong's salary had more than doubled — from around 1.5 billion won ($1.03 million) as a club manager to 3.8 billion won upon taking the national team job. Hong said he could not disclose the exact figure due to contractual and legal clauses, but flatly denied the 3.8 billion won figure. "That is absolutely not true," he said.

He added that the amount was mutually agreed upon, that he never asked for more money and that he simply accepted what the association offered.

Rebuilding Korea Party lawmaker Kim Jae-won raised allegations of leaked information and hiring favoritism, noting that the day after Hong resigned following South Korea's results at the North and Central America World Cup, the KFA expanded a secretariat recruitment from one position to three. Two associates who had worked with Hong — his personal driver and a support staff member — applied for the two new posts and advanced to the interview stage, Kim said.

Kim then asked whether, after Hong was reappointed as head coach, a staff member from a foundation Hong chairs had been hired as his driver by the association, and whether Hong had recommended or requested the hire.

Hong denied both allegations outright, saying neither had occurred, and rejected any suggestion that he had intervened in the hiring of associates.


yjc@heraldcorp.com