Seoul: A little over 14 years after coaching South Korea to the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Huh Jung-moo has declared his candidacy for the top job at the national football federation. Huh, 69, officially announced his intention to run for the presidency of the Korea Football Association (KFA) during a press conference held in Seoul on Monday.According to Yonhap News Agency, Huh aims to replace incumbent Chung Mong-gyu, who has been leading the KFA since 2013 and is expected to seek a fourth term. Chung has faced increasing pressure to resign due to a series of off-field issues affecting the KFA, including controversy over the hiring of the current men's national team head coach, Hong Myung-bo.Huh criticized the current state of Korean football, stating, "Korean football has been wavering. It has not been clean, transparent or just." He attributed these issues to the KFA's "dogmatic operating system" and expressed his desire for change, saying, "The KFA is regressing because of opaque and inadequate administration and its refusal to fix its problems."Huh is widely regarded as one of the finest players in South Korean football history, having earned 104 caps and scored 30 goals for the national team. He represented South Korea at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico and became one of the first South Korean players to play overseas, joining Dutch club PSV Eindhoven in the early 1980s.In his coaching career, Huh achieved notable success, including leading South Korea to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup. This achievement marked the first time the country reached the knockout stages of an away World Cup, and Huh remains the only South Korean-born coach to accomplish this feat.Huh's career also includes coaching South Korean clubs Jeonnam Dragons and Incheon United, serving as a technical adviser and later as chairman of the board for Daejeon Hana Citizen FC, and holding positions as vice president of the KFA and deputy commissioner of the Korean Professional Football League.The KFA presidential election is scheduled for January 8, 2025, just five days before Huh's 70th birthday. Candidate registration will open on December 25, and Huh is the first to officially declare his candidacy.
- October 12, 2026
