SEOUL, September 22 (AJP) -Police dropped a breach-of-trust allegation concerning former South Korean national football coach Hong Myung-bo’s salary while referring former Korea Football Association chief Chung Mong-gyu to prosecutors over alleged interference in Hong’s appointment.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday it had referred Chung, former technical director Lee Lim-saeng and former full-time vice president Kim Jung-bae to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office without detention on suspicion of obstructing business through deception.
The three are accused of improperly intervening in the work of the association’s national team committee, which has authority to recommend coaching candidates to the board, and falsifying briefing materials submitted to directors to conceal that interference.
The materials stated that former committee chairman Chung Hae-sung had asked the association to take over the coaching appointment process when he resigned, according to police.
Investigators found that Chung had merely stepped down and had neither delegated the remaining selection work to the association nor asked it to proceed.
Police concluded that the board would not have approved Hong’s appointment had it been accurately informed of those circumstances.
The false statements were intended to make the selection appear procedurally legitimate following public criticism of the fairness of an earlier coaching appointment, police said.
“Because there had been public criticism over procedural fairness in the previous coaching appointment, Chung Mong-gyu and others included false information in the board’s briefing materials to create the appearance that Hong Myung-bo’s appointment had followed proper procedures,” police said.
AJP Takeaways:
- Former football chief referred to prosecutors: Police suspect Chung Mong-gyu and two former senior officials of interfering in Hong Myung-bo’s appointment and falsifying board briefing materials.
- Board approval allegedly rested on false information: Police found the selection committee’s outgoing chairman had not authorized the association to take over the process, contrary to the materials.
- Salary-related allegation dropped: Police found insufficient grounds to establish financial damage or intent to harm the association. That does not amount to clearing all irregularities surrounding Hong’s appointment.
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