Court suspends disciplinary action demand against football chief Chung Mong-gyu

A South Korean court has halted a severe disciplinary demand against the head of the nation's football association, offering a temporary reprieve amid an ongoing dispute with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Seoul High Court accepted an injunction request from the Korea Football Association (KFA), suspending the ministry's disciplinary action until 30 days after the appellate court rules on the main lawsuit.

The ministry had called for a suspension or more severe penalty for KFA President Chung Mong-gyu, citing alleged improper intervention in the hiring of former national team coach Jürgen Klinsmann and current coach Hong Myung-bo during an audit in July-August 2024. The KFA appealed the ministry's findings, but their appeal was rejected, leading to the legal challenge.

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Some of the points raised were inappropriate, but that alone does not make the demand for action improper or illegal.

This court decision is crucial for Chung, as a previous injunction allowed him to run for and win a fourth consecutive term as KFA president. However, the KFA lost the initial administrative lawsuit in April, with the court ruling that while some audit points were questionable, the disciplinary demand was within the ministry's discretionary powers.

The KFA decided to appeal this ruling in May, and subsequently filed for an injunction to suspend the disciplinary action pending the appeal. Despite these legal battles, Chung announced in late May that he would resign after the 2026 FIFA World Cup concludes.

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It is within the scope of discretionary power to demand this level of disciplinary action.