Honorary Chairman Chung Mong-joon's continued love of soccer, Japan should win, and hope to perform well in next year's World Cup
Sep 16, 2025
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It was the wish of Chung Mong-joon, honorary chairman of the Korea Football Association. The Korea Professional Football Federation held the 2nd 'K League Hall of Fame' induction ceremony at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul on the 16th. The K-League Hall of Fame was established in 2023 to honor the history and tradition of Korean professional football and to publicize the contributions of those who contributed to the development of the K-League. It operates in three categories: athletes, leaders, and contributors, and inductees are selected every two years.
Kim Joo-sung, Kim Byung-ji, the late Yoo Sang-cheol, and Deyan in the player category, former Suwon Samsung coach Kim Ho in the leader category, and Chung Mong-joon, honorary chairman of the Korea Football Association, in the contributor category. Choi Soon-ho, Hong Myung-bo, Shin Tae-yong, Lee Dong-guk, former coach Kim Jung-nam, and late POSCO Honorary Chairman Park Tae-joon were inducted at the first Hall of Fame in 2023.
At this year's induction ceremony, various programs were prepared to commemorate their performances and achievements by welcoming new inductees. Footballers with special ties to the inductees took the stage to introduce the contributions of the inductees and read their recommendations. A video showing the past performances of the inductees was also screened.
The inductee was awarded a trophy symbolizing the Hall of Fame's induction along with a certificate of induction recording their achievements in the K League. The trophy was embedded with a solid gold medal engraved with the symbol of the Hall of Fame, adding to the meaning of the induction.
Honorary Chairman Chung served as the first and second president of the Korea Professional Football Federation from 1994 to 1998. During Chung's tenure, the K-League made several developments, including the introduction of a title sponsor system, expansion to 10 club systems through the establishment of Jeonbuk, Jeonnam, Suwon, and Daejeon, and the establishment of a regional linkage system. Honorary chairman Chung served as president of the Korea Football Association from 1993 to 2009, playing a key role in attracting and successfully hosting the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The 2002 World Cup had a profound impact on the development of K-League infrastructure and raising awareness, with World Cup stadiums built in 10 cities nationwide later used as home stadiums for K-League clubs. Chairman Chung also elevated Korea's status in international soccer by serving as vice president and executive member of FIFA. The federation decided to donate to the K-League Hall of Fame Contributor category in honor of Chairman Chung's achievements in driving the systematization of K-League and Korean soccer.
Kim Ho-gon, chairman of the Soccer Love Sharing Foundation, who was a recommended person, said "Since he coached the Athens Olympics in 2004, he has been watching the chairman closely while serving as the association's executive director and Ulsan's coach. The chairman thought deeply about the way for Korean soccer to go on the international stage. We have always fully supported the work necessary to approach global standards. The 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, where the chairman's soccer diplomacy shone, changed everything in Korean soccer. Soccer has instilled pride in the people, and the status and treatment of workers have increased. The Seoul World Cup Stadium, the heart of Korean soccer, and exclusive stadiums across the country became the basis for the development of the K-League. The chairman has taken numerous first steps in the K-League. The K League established the league in 1996 when it was unable to leave amateur league and established the concept of home base, which is the basis of professional football. He also built a soccer center, which is home to soccer players. The chairman once told me that football is not just a sport, but a culture and future of a society. Today's K-League, where games are held across the country and cheers are filled, is located in a strong system established by the chairman. A man who truly loves Korean soccer and makes it a day of soccer."
Chairman Chung said on the stage, `Thank you to everyone who loves soccer. Thank you to everyone who recommended me to the Hall of Fame today. Korean soccer has made a lot of progress over the past 30 years, including professional soccer. It's all thanks to the football lovers and leaders here. express one's gratitude.' Then "I was thinking about what to talk about while receiving a good award today, and I'll tell you two things. I would like to ask the players and the leaders for a favor. Looking at it today, we had an exhibition match with the U.S. and Mexico not too long ago, and our FIFA ranking is 23rd. Japan is said to be ranked 18th. Come to think of it, in the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, we went to the semifinals, and Japan went to the round of 16. Still, I think our skills should be better than this. I want our soccer players to work harder`````````````````````. After becoming president of the association, I asked footballers. I wondered what I should do, you should do our football administration, and the president of the association should do the outside work. Many people said that the election of FIFA vice chairman would not work out. In the election, there were more than 30 Asian member countries, and they were elected by one vote with 11 votes. Asia has four regions. There are the Middle East, Southwest Asia, ASEAN, and the Far East, and when you go to the election, you have to vote in your neighborhood, but the Far East has Japan, North Korea, China, and those countries don't seem to take good pictures of us. I thought about where to get tickets if I didn't get them in my neighborhood, but I still got 11 votes. When I went to FIFA, there were 21 executive committee members, and the chairman was Avalanje and the secretary general was Blatter, but he thought the 2002 World Cup was held in Japan, so I shouldn't, I don't know if Japan is a little ahead in the extreme society, but he said Korea is better in terms of soccer skills. If Japan holds the event because it has economic power ahead of Korea, it is like selecting students who have a lot of money in the family, not students who are good at studying at school. I had the pleasure of co-hosting and reaching the semifinals by saying things that worked and couldn't. The World Cup will be held in the United States next year, and I hope our associations, federations, and fans will join forces to play a good game and give great joy to our people."
Reporter Park Chan-joon vanbasten@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
