Soccer executive offers to resign over scandal

A high-ranking football official offered to resign on Friday over a corruption scandal involving a dismissed junior colleague.

In a statement, Kim Jin-kook, executive director at the Korea Football Association, said he had “no intention of staying in his post” if it hindered development of local football or unity of the KFA.

On Thursday, Kim came under fire for paying a former KFA employee a large settlement on his way out, after the employee threatened to disclose corruption within the KFA.

The employee, who had been handling accounting and finances since 2006, was fired on Dec. 31 for allegedly attempting to steal football equipment and embezzling a large sum of the KFA’s funds using corporate credit card reward points.

According to sources, Kim was the principal figure behind the KFA’s decision earlier this month to pay the employee a settlement of 150 million won (U.S. $133,570).

The KFA’s labor union on Thursday called for Kim’s resignation, and threatened to stage daily protests until he leaves the KFA.

Kim on Friday refuted allegations that he tried to protect the employee.

“It is absolutely not true that I tried to defend the employee or to interfere with our investigation into the matter,” Kim said.

Separately, the KFA named Kim Joo-sung as its new secretary general, a post that had been vacant for nearly two years. Kim Joo-sung, a former fixture on the national team, had been the agency’s head of international relations.

Officials said they wanted to fill the administrative void left by Kim Jin-kook’s resignation.
 

(Yonhap News)