Chung Mong-gyu, president of the Korea Football Association, speaks during an opening ceremony of the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, April 7. Yonhap
Chung Mong-gyu, the long-standing president of the Korea Football Association (KFA), announced Friday that he will resign from his post after the FIFA World Cup.
The KFA released an official statement from Chung, who has led the nation's football governing body for 13 years since taking office in 2013. He plans to officially submit his resignation after the World Cup, jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the U.S., concludes on July 19.
The announcement of his sudden departure is widely seen as an attempt to protect the national team from public backlash before the tournament. The move is also seen as a way for Chung to escape direct responsibility for the ongoing scandals surrounding his leadership.
"I intend to step down from the position of KFA president after this World Cup," Chung said in the statement. "I believe my final duty as president is to support the national team so that they can achieve meaningful results in the tournament, and I will do my utmost to fulfill this responsibility."
