Chung Mong-gyu, a candidate in the election for president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), gives his final speech before the vote at the KFA House in Seoul, in this photo provided by the KFA, Feb. 26. Yonhap

Chung Mong-gyu won his fourth consecutive term as head of the national football governing body Wednesday, easily defeating two rival candidates in an election rescheduled after multiple postponements.

Chung collected 156 out of 183 votes in the election for president of the Korea Football Association (KFA). Huh Jung-moo, former head coach of the Korean men's national team, had 15 votes, while Shin Moon-sun, former player and television analyst, earned 11 votes. There was one invalid vote.

Chung, 63, has been leading the KFA since January 2013. He is also chairman of the real estate developer Hyundai Development Co. His new four-year term began immediately after the win.

The electoral college had 192 eligible voters, including heads of regional football associations, players, referees and coaches, and 95.3 percent of them cast their ballots.

"This has been an unusually long and cold winter, but it's finally getting a little nicer now. I hope spring will arrive in football, too," Chung said. "We've had so many people in football take part in this election, and they came from all across the nation. I feel a huge sense of responsibility, and I will try to honor all the pledges I've made and work hard for people in this sport."

Chung's previous term was marred by a series of off-field issues, including his ill-advised attempt to pardon former players banned for life over match-fixing charges in 2023. Last summer, Chung faced heat over the KFA's controversial appointment of Hong Myung-bo as new head coach of the men's national team, with critics accusing the football body of lacking transparency during the hiring process. Chung was also slammed after hiring Hong's predecessor, Jurgen Klinsmann, in early 2023, for disregarding proper administrative steps and getting himself directly involved in the process.

Chung Mong-gyu, elected to his fourth term as president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), gives his victory speech after winning the election at the KFA House in Seoul, Feb. 26. Yonhap

In light of the controversy surrounding Hong, the sports ministry conducted an extensive probe into the KFA's operations. In November, it concluded that the KFA had broken several rules, and Chung, along with other senior executives, had to be at least suspended from duty.

After having its appeal dismissed by the ministry in January, the KFA took the matter to court. On Feb. 11, the Seoul Administrative Court granted the KFA's request to halt the implementation of the ministry's demand to penalize Chung, allowing him to maintain his eligibility for the election.

During his campaign, Chung pledged reforms in the selection process for national team head coaches, and said he would try to push both the men's and women's senior national teams into the top 10 in the FIFA rankings.

Chung, a scion of the business conglomerate Hyundai Group, cut his teeth in football as the owner of the K League club Ulsan Hyundai FC (currently Ulsan HD FC) in 1994. He then went on to serve as the owner for other K League clubs, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Busan IPark.

He was the commissioner of the Korea Professional Football League for two years before taking over as the KFA's boss. If he completes the new four-year term, he will tie his cousin and another Hyundai scion, Chung Mong-joon, as the longest-serving president in KFA history.

Chung Mong-gyu has said he will not seek a fifth term. (Yonhap)