Hong Myung-ho (Yonhap) Hong Myung-bo, former head coach of the South Korean men's national soccer team, said Wednesday that he had not personally used the credit card issued by his employers, the Korea Football Association."I used (the credit card) in accordance with the KFA regulations, its limits and purposes. All details of my spending were presented and processed by the association. Not once was I ordered to rectify my use of the corporate credit card during my tenure (as the team's head coach)," Hong said in an official statement.Local broadcaster JTBC on Tuesday reported that Hong had charged 14 million won ($9,600) over two years near his home in Bundang-gu, Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. This included multiple uses at a restaurant near his home, with the owner telling JTBC that he usually ate alone.According to the report, Hong used the credit card on weekends. KFA regulations ban company cards from being used on weekends or for personal use, and purchases must be justified with objective proof.The broadcaster said Hong never submitted documents for what was suspected to be personal spending, which accounted for over 37 percent of the 37.4 million won he charged on the credit card during his tenure as head coach.Hong claimed that he spent so much money on weekends because his coaching staff had to check the players of Korea's division 1 K-League, which holds many of its games on the weekends. He said weekend meetings with his staff were unavoidable, as many national squad roster announcements were made on Mondays.According to Hong, the credit card spending was for meals and other duties related to the national squad, and many foreign coaches lived in Bundang-gu near his home.Hong, initially signed to coach the national team until January 2027, resigned following the team's lackluster performance at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. South Koreans finished 34th overall, widely considered one of the worst results in the country's soccer history.