Top football official decides not to run for second term

The head of Korea's football governing body said Wednesday he will not run for a second term in an election early next year.

Cho Chung-yun, chairman of the Korea Football Association (KFA), said in a statement that he will step down from his post when his current term ends in January next year.

"I will not enter the election for the chairman post of the KFA after the end of my term," Cho said. "I'd like to thank all employees who have shown a steadfast work ethic through thick and thin."

Less than 24 hours earlier, moments before South Korea was to face Iran in Tehran in a World Cup qualifier, Cho had said he hadn't yet made up his mind about running for a second term.

Cho, 66, took over as the KFA chairman in January 2009. On his watch, Korea reached the round of 16 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the first time South Korea made it past the group stage at an away World Cup. At the London Olympics this summer, South Korea won the bronze medal for its first Olympic football medal.

On the other hand, Cho was in hot water over the KFA's abrupt dismissal of Cho Kwang-rae as the national team head coach in December. In February this year, the KFA became a subject of state auditing after paying an ex-employee a large sum in a settlement after he threatened to divulge corruption within the football body.

Following the London Olympics, Cho was called to stand before a parliamentary committee on sports after the KFA sent an apologetic letter to its Japanese counterparts over a Korean player's celebration of the bronze medal victory over Japan.

Midfielder Park Jong-woo held up a sign that read, in Korean, "Dokdo Is Our Territory," following Korea's 2-0 win over Japan. Dokdo is South Korea's easternmost islets, to which Japan has often laid claims.

The KFA's letter was panned as being overly apologetic to Japanese, and critics said the document amounted to an admission that claiming Dokdo as South Korean territory was a mistake.

Cho is scheduled to attend a parliamentary audit session Friday and is expected to be asked further about Park's celebration, plus other administrative issues at the KFA.

In Wednesday's statement, Cho made it clear that he was none too pleased with making another appearance at the National Assembly.

"During my time, all football people and KFA employees have put in hard work for the benefit of football in the country," he said. "I think it's regrettable that I, as the KFA chairman, am being called to stand before the parliament for issues outside football, while all of our efforts are being ignored." (Yonhap)