Seoul: The South Korean football governing body announced Tuesday it will recruit former national election officials to run its president vote. The Korea Football Association (KFA) stated its intention to include “multiple” former officials from the National Election Commission (NEC) on its election management committee, seeking recommendations from the NEC and other pertinent organizations.
According to Yonhap News Agency, this initiative is aimed at ensuring expertise in election management and operations. Chung Mong-gyu is seeking his fourth term, contending against Huh Jung-moo, a former head coach of the South Korean men’s national team, and Shin Moon-sun, a former player and television analyst. The election, initially scheduled for January 8, was postponed following a Seoul Central District Court injunction filed by Huh due to concerns over transparency and impartiality.
The KFA rescheduled the vote for January 23; however, both Huh and Shin claimed they did not agree to this date, prompting the KFA to reconsider. Efforts to establish a new election committee are underway after all eight members of the initial team resigned on January 10 amid allegations of pro-Chung bias from both Huh and Shin, leading to an indefinite postponement of the election.
According to the KFA, the election committee can comprise between seven and eleven members, with at least two-thirds unaffiliated with football or the KFA. The KFA announced it will have 11 members for the new committee, with increased involvement from the NEC and media.
To ensure the independence of committee members, the KFA is accepting recommendations from external organizations and will not appoint members independently. Last week, the KFA disclosed that the NEC had declined its request to assume election management responsibilities, citing prior obligations.