Former National Team Manager Myung-bo Hong Alleged of Misusing $10K Corporate Card Near Home

[26.07.28] Former National Team Manager Myung-bo Hong Alleged of Misusing $10K Corporate Card Near Home… KFA Faces Backlash for Zero Explanation & Poor Oversight

Myung-bo Hong, former manager of the South Korea national football team, spent over 14 million KRW (~$10,000 USD) on a Korea Football Association (KFA) corporate card near his personal residence without submitting a single explanatory report. Data revealed by Representative Sun-mee Jin of the Democratic Party of Korea at the National Assembly shows that the KFA is drawing severe criticism for neglecting its own administrative guidelines and maintaining lax oversight.

1. From Nearby Restaurants to Public Holidays… 14.06 Million KRW Spent Without Explanation

According to corporate card usage records submitted by the KFA to Rep. Sun-mee Jin's office, former manager Myung-bo Hong charged a total of 37.42 million KRW to his KFA corporate card between July 2024 and May of this year. However, roughly 37% of that total—amounting to 14.06 million KRW—was spent in Bundang-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, directly adjacent to his personal residence.

A closer look at the transaction history reveals purchases at local hotels, meat restaurants, and soup diners near his home that show little obvious connection to official KFA business, raising strong suspicions of personal use. Furthermore, transactions worth hundreds of thousands of KRW were recorded at establishments in Bundang during statutory holidays and public breaks, including Children's Day, Memorial Day, and Liberation Day. Despite guidelines requiring strict justification for holiday or residential spending, reckless transactions were allowed to proceed unchecked.

Under the KFA's business promotion expense guidelines, spending corporate funds on holidays or far from official work venues requires objective proof (such as business trip receipts) or a separate written explanation. Nevertheless, the association officially acknowledged that it received zero explanatory documents from Hong. While the KFA claimed there were no issues because attendee names and headcounts were written on receipts during monthly internal reviews, critics argue that the association's auditing process was virtually non-existent.

14.06 million KRW spent near home and on holidays! Not a single required explanation report was submitted, exposing severe flaws in the KFA's auditing oversight.

2. Additional $7K Spent Even After Compliance Training… Widespread Misuse Across KFA

What makes the revelation even more striking is that these spending habits continued even after an official audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and internal compliance training. Following the ministry's audit, the KFA conducted organization-wide training in May regarding proper corporate card usage.

Despite this, investigation results show that Hong charged an additional 9.9 million KRW near his home even after the May compliance session took place. This suggests that internal training was treated as little more than a superficial formality. Furthermore, despite a public apology issued by the KFA in 2017 over corporate card scandals, the association's systemic card misuse remains largely uncorrected.

Since the 2017 apology, records show approximately 77 million KRW spent indiscriminately across 218 department store transactions and 300 gas station purchases. Key executives, including former manager Hong and former Technical Director Im-saeng Lee, were both found to have department store transaction histories. To make matters worse, when the KFA belatedly published its corporate card usage disclosures after controversy over delayed filings, Hong's spending details were completely omitted from the public report.

Compliance training proved ineffective! Over 9.9 million KRW was spent after the May training, amidst broader abuses including 77 million KRW in department store and gas station charges.

3. National Assembly KFA Hearing Set for July 30… Key Witnesses Split on Attendance

This corporate card controversy is expected to become a central issue during the upcoming National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee hearing on the KFA, scheduled for July 30. The committee originally planned to hold the hearing on the 22nd, but voted to reschedule it to the 30th due to parliamentary organizing conflicts.

Beyond the corporate card allegations, lawmakers plan to grill association officials on opaque decision-making processes regarding the appointments of former managers Jürgen Klinsmann and Myung-bo Hong, as well as internal squad friction reported after the 2026 FIFA North/Central America World Cup. High public and media attention guarantees intense questioning from committee members.

Key witnesses former KFA President Mong-gyu Chung and former manager Myung-bo Hong have not submitted absence notices, indicating they will attend the hearing. Other officials, including former National Team Committee Chairman Hae-sung Chung and former KFA Vice President Yong-soo Lee, are also expected to appear. Rep. Sun-mee Jin urged, "The KFA must align its corporate card policies with standard sports governing bodies and completely overhaul its verification and public disclosure systems."

Assembly hearing opens July 30! Former President Mong-gyu Chung and manager Myung-bo Hong are expected to attend as lawmakers examine appointment controversies and card misuse.

4. Excuses of Overseas Jobs? Controversy Over Non-Attendance Notices by Lee and Park

As the hearing date approaches, public outrage is mounting over key figures submitting notices of non-attendance. Former Technical Director Im-saeng Lee, who led the national team manager selection process, and former KFA Vice President Hang-seo Park have both filed official notices declaring they will not attend.

According to committee sources, Park stated that he could not take an extended leave from his duties as head coach of Thailand's Kanchanaburi FC, a role he assumed on July 1. Meanwhile, Lee cited recent employment with Cambodia's NagaWorld FC as his reason for absence. Parliamentary insiders criticized these moves, suggesting that taking overseas coaching positions right before the hearing appears to be an attempt to evade public scrutiny and accountability.

Football fans have reacted with deep disappointment and anger. Online forums and social media are filled with comments demanding accountability, questioning how public funds could be spent at neighborhood restaurants without basic documentation, and calling for fundamental structural reforms within the KFA.

• "Spending corporate cards at local diners and steak houses without submitting a single explanation shows a shocking lack of administrative standards at the KFA."
• "Taking overseas jobs right before a parliamentary hearing looks like a classic tactic to avoid responsibility and dodge public questioning."
• "Former President Chung and manager Hong must speak the truth at the hearing and take full responsibility for corporate card abuses."

With several reference witnesses—including K-Football Innovation Committee Chairman Ji-sung Park and members Young-pyo Lee and Joo-ho Park—also filing absence notices, the National Assembly committee plans to proceed firmly with the witnesses who do attend. All eyes are now on whether the hearing can force transparency upon an association that has lost the public's trust.

Key figures submit absence notices! Absences by Im-saeng Lee and Hang-seo Park draw fierce criticism as fans demand full accountability and systemic reform.

Category	Key Details & Summary
1. Core Issue	Former manager Myung-bo Hong spent 14.06M KRW (~$10K USD) near his residence without submitting required explanations
2. Lax KFA Oversight	9.9M KRW charged even after May compliance training / 77M KRW total in past department store & gas station misuse
3. Hearing Schedule	National Assembly hearing set for July 30, 2026 (Focusing on manager appointments, World Cup fallout, card misuse)
4. Witness Status	Attending: Former President Mong-gyu Chung, former Manager Myung-bo Hong, Hae-sung Chung Not Attending: Former Director Im-saeng Lee, former VP Hang-seo Park, Ji-sung Park, etc.
5. Required Reform	Tightening corporate card rules to sports industry standards, enforcing strict approval, and fixing public disclosure gaps

[Key Summary] 5 Takeaways on Myung-bo Hong's Corporate Card Controversy & KFA Hearing

1. $10K Spent Near Residence: Former manager Myung-bo Hong charged 14.06M KRW near home without submitting explanation reports.

2. Lax Enforcement of Rules: KFA rules require written justification for holiday/distant spending, but the rule was entirely ignored.

3. Misuse Continued After Training: 9.9M KRW was spent after a May compliance session, alongside broader department store card usages.

4. Hearing Set for July 30: Former President Mong-gyu Chung and Myung-bo Hong to face questioning on card misuse and manager appointments.

5. Outrage Over Absence Filings: Im-saeng Lee and Hang-seo Park cited new overseas coaching jobs to skip the hearing, sparking evasion claims.

Related Tags (9): July_28_2026, MyungBoHong, KoreaFootballAssociation, KFA, CorporateCardMisuse, RepSunMeeJin, KFAHearing, MongGyuChung, ImSaengLee