![Korea Football Park in Ipjang-myeon, Seobuk-gu, Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. [Yonhap]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/19/news-p.v1.20260819.c5f1bd75f0144d25b84ee03f50d21e27_P1.jpg)
Police have determined that the statute of limitations has expired on charges of arranging sexual services in connection with the Korea Football Association sex-entertainment scandal.
A Korean National Police Agency official said at a regular press briefing Wednesday that the statute of limitations on solicitation charges "appears to have lapsed," but added that investigators would look into whether any further confirmation was possible.
The case drew renewed public attention after it emerged that the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had confirmed through a 2016 audit that the Korea Football Association had provided sexual entertainment to about 10 foreign referees and match officials across seven games — three World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches and four friendly matches — between 2011 and 2012.
The incidents occurred 15 years ago. While charges of breach of trust or violations of the Act on the Punishment of Arrangement of Commercial Sex Acts could theoretically apply, under current law a statute of limitations exceeding 15 years generally applies only to serious crimes.
Police confirmed that following a referral from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016, they investigated multiple suspects on breach of trust charges related to the sex-entertainment allegations and forwarded the case to prosecutors in October 2017 with a recommendation for indictment.
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