Chung Mong-gyu, right, president of the Korea Football Association, watches the 2026 North and Central American World Cup Asian Qualifiers' third round, second leg match between Korea and Oman at Sultan Qaboos Stadium in Muscat, Oman, Tuesday. Yonhap

The union of the Korea Football Association (KFA) has issued a statement opposing the fourth consecutive term of KFA President Chung Mong-gyu, urging him to leave the association at the end of his current term.

In its statement on Thursday, the union said, "The behavior of Chung Mong-gyu's administration, blindly pursuing a fourth term for the president without regard for the angry sentiment of football fans and the media, goes beyond ignorance. It is sheer incompetence."

It said Chung should use his remaining term to declare his decision not to run again and help resolve the crisis facing Korean football.

"His announcement not to run would be the first step toward addressing the crisis," it said.

The union said that one of the common sights at soccer stadiums is the angry jeers from football fans demanding "Chung Mong-gyu out."

Since the match-fixing incident in March last year, a series of events — including the controversial appointment and dismissal of the former manager Jurgen Klinsmann and issues with the process of appointing the new national team manager — have all fueled calls for Chung to step down.

Chung's continuous missteps have led to unprecedented actions, such as an audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, an urgent inquiry session at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 24th, and the upcoming National Assembly audit in October, it said.

Football fans hold banners criticizing Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, Sept. 5, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, during the 2026 North and Central American World Cup Asian Qualifiers' third-round Group B first leg match between Korea and Palestine. Newsis

"Even after watching Chung Mong-gyu's administration's repeated blunders, we waited with the hope that they would handle things sensibly," it said. "We felt a sense of responsibility as members of the KFA, and before criticizing the management, we took the time to reflect on whether we had any issues of our own."

The union said it is true that it remained silent for a long time to avoid giving the impression that the union was interfering in the KFA presidential election, which is slated for next January.

"However, like ordinary football fans, we can no longer tolerate this situation. We hope Chung Mong-gyu's administration will end its term gracefully," it said.

The union concluded, "Chung should bring his relationship with Korean football to a close by allowing the newly appointed national team manager and staff, who were selected amid controversy, to settle in. The remaining reform tasks should be left to the next administration, and we urge him to leave without hesitation."

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.