The K-Football Innovation Committee, launched to reform Korean soccer, discussed a full-scale overhaul of the Korea Football Association (KFA) presidential electoral college at its third meeting.
The committee held its third meeting on the 20th at the administrative building of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno, Seoul, centered on governance innovation and reforms for sustainable soccer development.
At the third meeting, the committee confirmed that the first phase of revising the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) bylaws and member sport organization regulations is proceeding on schedule.
Earlier, on the 16th, the KSOC held its 2026 extraordinary general assembly at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and unanimously approved a bylaw amendment to abolish the "drawing by the election management committee" procedure under Article 24, Paragraph 2, "Election of the President," and to expand the scope of the body that elects the president (the electoral college).
With this bylaw revision, the drawing method is eliminated, and executives, delegates, and athletes registered in the sport committee's registration system from member sport organizations—excluding recognized organizations—can all be included in the electoral college.
According to the committee, the matter is pending approval by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. In addition, an amendment to extend the deadline for electing a new president—currently set at within 60 days of a vacancy—passed the Sports Fair Committee's resolution that day and is scheduled to be addressed by the board of directors within this week.
The committee also announced a plan to revise the current clause in member sport organization regulations that stipulates an indirect election system of within 300 people, so that KFA presidential elections are not swayed by the influence of some electors. The committee reached a consensus that the KSOC should revise this regulation promptly. The specific size and composition of the electoral college, including a shift to direct elections, require further discussion.
The KFA also prepared a review proposal for reorganizing the electoral college in line with the KSOC's revision direction. Committee members exchanged views on the draft that day and decided to discuss a supplemented version again at the next meeting.
Chairman Park said he would swiftly prepare guidelines for governance reform, but expressed his intention not to be pressured by the schedule of major tournaments such as the September Asian Games and next January's Asian Cup. "Rather than rushing it in an unprepared state, it is most important to elect the president in an environment that many people can accept, so we have not set a deadline of 'it must be done by such-and-such,'" he said. "We will work to reach agreement as quickly as possible and produce a good plan."
A finalized plan for the KFA presidential election did not emerge from this meeting. The scope to which the electoral college will be expanded, and the ratios by which each stakeholder—by function, region, and athletes—will be included, have also not been determined.
The second agenda item was player development. At the previous meeting, the committee agreed on the need for a philosophy that can be applied commonly to player growth at each stage, including youth. The idea is to first establish a development direction that is not skewed toward short-term results or specific age groups, then connect it to programs and budgets.
At the next meeting, the committee plans to review the key programs and required budget to translate this philosophy into actual policy.
