Park Ji-sung Also Speaks Out: "Sad and Devastating... Chung Mong-gyu Must Make His Own Choice"

Park Ji-sung, former captain of the national soccer team and Technical Director of Jeonbuk Hyundai, expressed his feelings of "sadness and despair" regarding the controversy surrounding the appointment of Hong Myung-bo as the national soccer team coach.

After attending the planned program 'MMCA Play' held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul on the 12th, Director Park met with reporters and criticized, "The promise to appoint the coach according to the proper procedure has been broken." He continued, "I feel great sadness and regret, wondering if this is all we are, and why it had to turn out this way," adding, "There was an expectation that Korean soccer has changed and will continue to change, but thinking about what has changed since then is so disheartening that I cannot put it into words."

Former soccer player Park Ji-sung is giving a future generation talk at the cultural event "MMCA: Junior Futsal" held on the afternoon of the 12th at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, located in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

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Regarding the association, he said, "Trust in the Korea Football Association has already declined, and it will take a considerable amount of time to restore it," emphasizing, "To regain trust, we must speak the truth and move forward." He questioned, "Isn't it necessary to understand why this situation had to happen?" and added, "Even if it takes time, work must proceed based on facts, and people must observe the transparency of the process to build trust."

About the appointment process of Coach Hong, he said, "I am not an insider, so I do not know the details," and added, "The truth is probably known by those inside." He also stated, "We must not move forward without any solution to the current situation," and "If it cannot be reversed, we need an answer on how to proceed."

He cautiously supported the public opinion calling for Chairman Jung's resignation. When asked if he thinks Chairman Jung should resign, Director Park replied, "It is quite difficult to say that the chairman should step down without any regulations regarding resignation," but added, "Chairman Jung is in a situation where he must make his own choice." He further said, "If so, we must also consider whether there is an alternative when Chairman Jung steps down."

He also said, "This issue is so big that I cannot gauge whether the outcome will change the situation," and "Ultimately, the decision to overturn the coach appointment lies with the association and Coach Hong Myung-bo. I worry whether it will be easy to move forward in the current atmosphere."

Director Park emphasized, "The foundation of Korean soccer was shaken during a crisis, and now the most worrisome thing is that the foundation could be shaken again," adding, "If this continues, it could affect all of Korean soccer, including youth soccer. Someone must make a decisive decision."

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