Committee on reforming football welcomes Olympic chief as new co-chair next to ex-World Cup star

A committee on reforming football welcomes Olympic chief as new co-chair, reshaping South Korea’s approach to governance after the national team’s World Cup exit. The new government-formed “K-football Innovation Committee” held its inaugural meeting on Monday in Seoul, with former FIFA World Cup winner Park Ji-sung naming Ryu Seung-min, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, as co-chair. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the committee formation last Friday, alongside Park and Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young. The group includes seven members, such as Kim Seung-hee of the Korea Football Association and former national team players Lee Young-pyo and Park Joo-ho. The committee was formed after South Korea was eliminated from the group stage at the ongoing FIFA World Cup, following past criticism of the KFA’s opaque process when hiring coach Hong Myung-bo. KFA president Chung Mong-gyu said in May he planned to step down and submitted his resignation letter earlier Monday. Ryu said the committee will respect KFA independence while pursuing concrete changes and shared alignment on follow-up actions.