Korea Football Association
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The Korea Football Association (Korean: Script error: No such module "Lang".Template:Category handler) is the governing body of football and futsal within South Korea. It sanctions professional, semi-professional and amateur football in South Korea. Founded in 1933, the governing body became affiliated with FIFA twenty years later in 1948, and the Asian Football Confederation in 1954.
History
In 1921, the first All Joseon Football Tournament was held, and in 1933, the Korea Football Association was organized (following the foundation of Joseon Referees' Association in 1928), which created a foundation to disseminate and develop the sport.[1] Park Seung-bin was the first president of the KFA, charged with the task of promoting and spreading organised football in Korea.[2]
The Korea Football Association was reinstated in 1948, following the establishment of the Republic of Korea. The KFA became a member of FIFA, the international football governing body that same year. It later joined the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) in 1954.
Members
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- President: Chung Mong-gyu
- Vice-presidents: Lee Yong-soo, Park Hang-seo, Shin Jeong-sik, Kim Byung-ji, Shin Tae-yong
- General secretary: Jeon Han-jin
- Heads of departments
- Fairness: So Jin
- International: Jeon Han-jin
- Technical: Lee Jang-kwan
- Competition: Kim Hyun-tae
- Communication: Wi Won-seok
- Referee: Moon Jin-hee
- Ethics: Kim Yoon-ju
- Medical: Kim Gwang-jun
- Development: Hyun Young-min
- Administrative inspector: Jeong Tae-seok, Lee Tae-ho
Presidents
Shin Ki-jun was the president of the Joseon Referees' Association, but he is not officially recognised as the first president.[2]
| No. | President | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Park Seung-bin | 1933–1934 |
| 2 | Lyuh Woon-hyung | 1934–1938 |
| 3 | Template:Ill | 1938–1942 |
| 4 | Ko Won-hoon (2) | 1942–1945 |
| 5 | Template:Ill | 1945–1947 |
| 6 | Ha Kyung-deok (2) | 1947–1948 |
| 7 | Shin Ik-hee | 1948–1949 |
| 8 | Template:Ill | 1949 |
| 9 | Yun Bo-seon | 1949–1950 |
| 10 | Hong Sung-ha (2) | 1950–1952 |
| 11 | Hong Sung-ha (3) | 1952 |
| 12 | Chang Taek-sang | 1952–1954 |
| 13 | Lee Jong-lim | 1954–1955 |
| 14 | Hyun Jung-ju | 1955 |
| 15 | Template:Ill | 1955–1956 |
| 16 | Kim Myung-hak (2) | 1956–1957 |
| 17 | Kim Yoon-ki | 1957–1959 |
| 18 | Kim Yoon-ki (2) | 1959–1960 |
| 19 | Template:Ill | 1960 |
| 20 | Jung Moon-ki | 1960–1961 |
| No. | President | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Jang Ki-young (2) | 1961–1962 |
| 22 | Kim Yoon-ki (3) | 1962 |
| 23 | Jang Ki-young (3) | 1962–1963 |
| 24 | Template:Ill | 1963 |
| 25 | Kim Yoon-ki (4) | 1963–1964 |
| 26 | Template:Ill | 1964 |
| 27 | Choi Chi-hwan | 1964–1967 |
| 28 | Choi Chi-hwan (2) | 1967–1968 |
| 29 | Choi Chi-hwan (3) | 1968–1969 |
| 30 | Choi Chi-hwan (4) | 1969–1970 |
| 31 | Jang Deok-jin | 1970–1972 |
| 32 | Jang Deok-jin (2) | 1972–1973 |
| 33 | Ko Tae-jin | 1973–1975 |
| 34 | Ko Tae-jin (2) | 1975 |
| 35 | Kim Yoon-ha | 1975–1977 |
| 36 | Kim Yoon-ha (2) | 1977–1978 |
| 37 | Kim Yoon-ha (3) | 1978 |
| 38 | Template:Ill | 1978–1979 |
| 39 | Choi Soon-young | 1979–1980 |
| 40 | Choi Soon-young (2) | 1980–1983 |
| No. | President | Year |
|---|---|---|
| 41 | Choi Soon-young (3) | 1983–1985 |
| 42 | Choi Soon-young (4) | 1985–1986 |
| 43 | Choi Soon-young (5) | 1986–1987 |
| 44 | Lee Jong-hwan | 1987–1988 |
| 45 | Kim Woo-jung | 1988–1989 |
| 46 | Kim Woo-jung (2) | 1989–1993 |
| 47 | Chung Mong-joon | 1993–1997 |
| 48 | Chung Mong-joon (2) | 1997–2001 |
| 49 | Chung Mong-joon (3) | 2001–2005 |
| 50 | Chung Mong-joon (4) | 2005–2009 |
| 51 | Cho Chung-yun | 2009–2013 |
| 52 | Chung Mong-gyu | 2013–2017 |
| 53 | Chung Mong-gyu (2) | 2017–2020 |
| 54 | Chung Mong-gyu (3) | 2021–2024 |
| 55 | Chung Mong-gyu (4) | 2025–present |
National teams
Source:[4]
Men's teams
- South Korea national football team
- South Korea national under-23 football team
- South Korea national under-20 football team
- South Korea national under-17 football team
- South Korea national under-14 football team
- South Korea national football B team (student)
- South Korea national futsal team
Women's teams
- South Korea women's national football team
- South Korea women's national under-20 football team
- South Korea women's national under-17 football team
- South Korea women's national under-14 football team
- South Korea women's national student football team
Defunct team
Competitions
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Current competitions
| Competition | Note | Current champions | Next season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korea Cup | National cup held since 1996. | Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (2025) | 2026 Korea Cup |
| K3 League | Men's semi-professional league held since 2020. | Gimhae FC (2025) | 2026 K3 League |
| K4 League | Men's semi-professional league held since 2020. | Dangjin Citizen (2025) | 2026 K4 League |
| WK League | Women's semi-professional league held since 2009. | Hwacheon KSPO (2025) | 2026 WK League |
| U-League | Universities' league held since 2008. | Dankook University (2025) | 2026 U-League |
Defunct competitions
- All Joseon Football Tournament: National cup held from 1938 to 1940. (Editions from 1921 to 1937 were held by Joseon Sports Council.)
- Korean National Football Championship: National cup held from 1946 to 2000.
- Korean President's Cup: Cup competition contested between semi-professional and amateur clubs from 1952 to 2009.
- Korea Cup (international): International competition annually held from 1971 to 1999.
- K League: Professional league held from 1983 to 1994. (Subsequent seasons have been held by K League Federation.)
Awards
Current awards
- Player of the Year
- Young Player of the Year
- Coach of the Year
- Goal of the Year
- Referee of the Year[5]
- Club of the Year[5]
Defunct awards
- Best XI
- Hall of Fame
Controversies
Tolerance of match-fixing scandal (2023)
The KFA tried to give pardons to 100 people formerly employed in football including 48 match-fixing participants on 28 March 2023. However, it rescinded the decision after facing strong objections from fans and sports journalists.[6] Lee Dong-gook, Lee Young-pyo and Cho Won-hee were among the high-profile administrators who assumed responsibility and resigned from their positions.
Selection of national team manager (2024)
Between February and July 2024, the men's national team had no full-time manager after Jürgen Klinsmann was fired. Two domestic managers had been temporarily filling in during that period. Selection committee head Jung Hae-seong abruptly resigned just days before Ulsan HD manager Hong Myung-bo was announced as the new national team manager. As the appointment took place in the middle of the K League season, fans and sports journalists and pundits were highly critical while irate Ulsan fans started holding up banners saying "Get out!" directed at Hong and protested in front of the KFA's headquarters.[7]
Selection committee member and football commentator Park Joo-ho was threatened with legal action by the KFA over a video he had uploaded on his YouTube channel on 8 July. He had been filming with fellow commentator Kim Hwan to discuss the KFA's lack of progress in selecting a new national team coach over the past five months and had reacted with surprise regarding the real-time news of Hong Myung-bo's appointment as the new manager. After that, he explained his reaction and further reiterated the fact he had no knowledge of the appointment despite being part of the committee responsible for the selection of coaches and his frustration with the disorganized nature of the selection process. The reaction was not edited out and the full video was uploaded, garnering several million views.[8] Park refused to retract his claims of cronyism and disorganized leadership at the very top of the KFA management hierarchy. Koo Ja-cheol was among the active players who publicly defended Park on his social media account.[9] Hong's 2002 World Cup teammates Kim Nam-il and Ahn Jung-hwan, who had been silent on the issue until then, both corroborated Park's claims and noted that it had been going since the 2002 World Cup.[10][11]
After the massive public outcry from already disgruntled fans and more former players, the KFA stated that it would not pursue legal action against Park but the incident led to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) conducting an independent probe by the Sports Ethics Center and scheduling an inquiry.[12][13] Park eventually resigned from his position and joined football commentator Park Moon-sung in testifying before an inquiry at the National Assembly that September.[14] There were differences between MCST's findings and Park's contentions. The findings revealed that Hong and David Wagner received the most votes from members of the selection committee including Park, and that the members agreed to give the final say to Jung Hae-seong.[15] On the contrary, the MCST pointed out that KFA president Chung Mong-gyu's attempt to overturn Hong's appointment was the violation of procedure. Jung Hae-seong had recommended Hong to president Chung and immediately resigned from the committee after the president rejected the recommendation.[16] The president, who preferred foreign managers to domestic managers, arbitrarily authorized Lee Lim-saeng to negotiate with candidates, but Lee reached the same conclusion as Jung Hae-seong.[17]
Nonetheless, public opinion of the KFA deteriorated further following revelations that the organization issued delayed responses to or failed to advocate for Europe-based players regarding the repeated racist abuse they received, with journalists and fans noting the stark contrast to the immediate and strongly-worded statement released in response to Park's YouTube video.[18][19]
See also
References
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External links
- Official website Template:In lang
- Korea Football Association at FIFA
- Korea Football Association at Asian Football Confederation
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