Football commentator Park Moon-sung said Thursday's National Assembly hearing on Korea Football Association affairs left him asking why no one had apologized.
Appearing on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show" on Friday, Park said, "Korean football has been wrecked to this extent, yet no one admits to having wrecked it. People say they will take responsibility, but when asked what they did wrong, not a single one says they did anything wrong."
He added that he felt a deep sense of shame that such figures had been leading Korean football, calling their conduct "irresponsible and cowardly."
Park also took aim at former KFA president Chung Mong-gyu over his pledges of donations, saying, "Every time a problem arose while he was running the association, he repeatedly promised to donate billions of won — but he never once followed through."
Park said the same pattern played out ahead of the upcoming World Cup, when Chung pledged a donation tied to the team's results but did not honor it. He added that the same behavior had repeated itself during Chung's tenure as chairman of HDC Hyundai Development.
Park also criticized the manner in which former national team head coach Hong Myung-bo responded to lawmakers' questions.
"He says he apologizes and will take responsibility, but when asked what exactly he did wrong, he acts as though he did nothing wrong," Park said. "He just kept repeating that he was unaware of the procedures at the time of his appointment."
Park said that explanation did not hold up, noting that Hong had publicly criticized the KFA's appointment procedures just one week before his own selection as head coach.
On the broadcasting rights contract, Park said Hong — who was executive director at the time — claimed he had only stamped the document because the secretary-general was the person in charge. "It is irresponsible for the final decision-maker to deflect accountability in that way," Park said.
Park also raised a text message controversy that surfaced during the hearing. It emerged that Yoon Yong-geun, a lawmaker on the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, had sent a message to former KFA president Chung reading, "I should have been more considerate of you — I am sorry."
"It is simply unacceptable for such messages to be exchanged with a hearing panelist beforehand," Park said. "The belief that power and influence allow you to do anything is exactly what has brought Korean football to this state."
Park called for a full departure of the old guard. "Everyone associated with the old regime under former president Chung must step down," he said. "People who treat even the lawmakers questioning them on behalf of the public as if they should butt out — those people need to go before a new wave and new faces can begin."
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