The report says Hong Myung-bo, 57, resigned in June after South Korea failed to reach the knockout stage of the expanded 48-team tournament. It adds that elimination was confirmed by a 1-0 defeat to South Africa.
That result intensified the pressure, but the current issue is different. Reports suggest investigators are examining whether internal rules were followed when Hong was recruited in 2024. In modern football, poor results bring criticism. Questions over how a coach was hired bring a much deeper institutional problem.
If senior officials are found to have bypassed procedure, the damage would not stop with one appointment. It would cut into trust around the entire decision-making structure.
That is why this case matters. National-team football runs on legitimacy as much as emotion. Fans can accept failure on the pitch more readily than they accept the sense that a process was compromised behind closed doors.
The KFA now appears to face two pressures at once:
That combination can be toxic for any federation. Stability becomes harder to sell when the structure itself is under examination.
The next phase will be watched closely. Whether the investigation gathers pace or fades, the bigger issue for South Korea is clear: the road to the next cycle is not only about choosing the right coach, but proving the choice is made the right way.