The police have concluded that the statute of limitations for prostitution-related charges in the Korea Football Association's past foreign referee scandal has expired.
According to Yonhap News, a police official stated during a regular press briefing on the 19th that in response to inquiries about the possibility of investigating the prostitution allegations, "It appears that the statute of limitations for prostitution-related charges has passed, but we will look into whether we can confirm anything further."
The issue involves allegations that the Korea Football Association provided sexual services to over ten foreign referees and officials during seven matches, including three FIFA World Cup and Olympic qualifying matches and four friendly matches, from March 2011 to March 2012. Payments were reportedly made using the association's corporate credit cards, with amounts ranging from hundreds of thousands to over one million won per session at massage parlors located in Seoul's Gangnam, Changwon in Gyeongnam, and Ulsan.
These misconduct allegations were uncovered during an audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016 but had not been made public until recently. On the 7th, related audit report details were disclosed through the office of Democratic Party lawmaker Jin Sun-mi, causing a significant stir in the soccer community.
Despite the public outcry, the police face limitations in conducting a thorough investigation due to the 14 to 15 years that have passed since the incidents occurred. While there may be grounds to consider charges of breach of trust or violations of the Prostitution Punishment Act, current laws typically restrict serious crimes to those with a statute of limitations of over 15 years.
Regarding past investigations, a police official confirmed, "In 2016, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism referred the case for investigation, and we confirmed that multiple suspects were investigated for breach of trust, with an indictment opinion submitted in October 2017."
However, the official added that it is still being verified whether the police conducted a direct investigation into the violations of the Prostitution Punishment Act, noting, "It has been quite some time, making it difficult to confirm the facts."
Currently, the police are also investigating the broader administrative controversies surrounding the Korea Football Association. They are focusing on potential misconduct and procedural violations in the appointment process of former national team coach Hong Myung-bo, which extends from the Strengthening Committee to the board of directors. On the 6th, they seized the mobile phone of former Korea Football Association President Chung Mong-kyu to gather related evidence.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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