Entrance of Korea Football Association (KFA) House in central Seoul Yonhap

These are tough times for the Korea Football Association (KFA) with barely a week going by without the organization making headlines.

In my personal experience, Chung Mong-gyu, the KFA head, is friendly and affable, at least compared to many senior figures in football and also to some of his predecessors.

Back in 2013 when he was elected to the top post in Korean football and one of the most prestigious in Asia, he seemed, despite the inevitable Hyundai background, a little different. There were headlines excited about a man who traveled economy class when flying and actually seemed to listen to the opinions of others.

Eleven years later, he is still there and still seemingly ready to run for a fourth four-year term of office in early 2025. It's all too much and too long. Even if everything was going well with the KFA and Korean soccer, it would be too long. But, of course, all is not going well, quite the opposite in fact.

The sight of the KFA chief appearing in front of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee in Seoul on Tuesday was not an edifying one. The questioning from politicians was hostile and disbelieving.

Chung is on the defensive about the whole national team head coach situation. He went out of his way to appoint Jurgen Klinsmann in 2023 and it turned out to be a disaster. The German boss was eventually fired in February. He didn't last long, but many felt that he should have been shown the door much earlier. Being so closely identified with a failed coach was not a great look for Chung.

Worse has followed however. The search for Klinsmann's replacement has not been the KFA's finest hour, with foreign coaches being interviewed and overlooked. In the end, Hong Myung-bo got the job after saying he wasn't interested. Fans were unhappy that the KFA had taken Hong from his job as head coach of Ulsan HD, and there is a general feeling that Chung runs the organization like it is his own personal fiefdom, perhaps not surprising given that he has been there so long. Whether it is true or not, there does seem to be a lack of transparency and accountability in how the KFA operates.

Chung denied that he had pushed for Hong from the start and the search had not followed procedure. "When we did not disclose every detail of the negotiating process and did not offer explanations, it wasn't because we were trying to plot any conspiracy or cover up the truth," Chung said. "And we were absolutely not trying to select a particular person through an unfair process."

"During my time as president of the KFA, I have never selected a national team head coach against the recommendation of the National Teams Committee or our Technical Committee," Chung added. "I have offered procedural advice, but I have never told anyone what to do with a particular candidate."

There was a lot more besides, and there has been a lot else talked about. The impression is given that the culture at the top of the KFA needs to change. There is much to do but it can't happen without a change of the man in charge. It is time for a new president and a new start.