South Korea’s football body rocked by historic allegations it bought ‘sexual services’ for referees

By Yoonjung Seo, Jessie Yeung, CNN

Seoul (CNN) — The governing body of football in South Korea has issued a public apology after a bombshell report alleged that it had spent thousands of dollars on sexual services for foreign referees before or after games in the early 2010s.

The government’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism first issued the report in 2016 after investigating corruption in the Korea Football Association (KFA). But it wasn’t made public until last week, when South Korean channel and CNN affiliate JTBC obtained the report and published its damning details.

The report, which CNN has since obtained from lawmaker Jin Sun-mi’s office, found that the KFA paid for “sexual entertainment” at massage parlors on at least eight occasions from 2011 to 2012, for foreign referees and football officials visiting South Korea. Three of the matches involved were qualifiers for the World Cup and Olympic Games.

In a statement published on its website Saturday, the KFA said it “deeply apologizes for the concern caused by various issues, ranging from a parliamentary hearing and a search and seizure operation to media reports about events from over a decade ago that many members of the association were unaware of.”

It added that “such inappropriate conduct or misuse of corporate cards are absolutely not occurring at present.”

In one example listed in the government report, South Korea’s national team played Oman on September 21, 2011 – competing for a spot in the 2012 London Olympics. In the early hours of the following morning, four referees who officiated the match were allegedly taken to a massage parlor by the KFA, which spent 760,000 Korean won ($536).

When KFA employees filed the expense report afterward, they reportedly lied – claiming the cost had been for post-match drinking.

A similar excursion occurred on February 29, 2012, before South Korea played Kuwait in a qualifying match for the 2014 Brazil World Cup. Then again for a referee assessor on March 14, 2012, while South Korea was playing Qatar in another Olympic qualifier.

In total, the KFA spent nearly 5.6 million Korean won (about $3,950) on “sexual entertainment” in that one-year period, the report found. Many of these times, KFA employees allegedly filed false expense reports chalking up the charges to meals, drinks, or standard massages.

The KFA also allegedly paid for sexual services for three officials from the Chinese Football Association who were visiting as part of a referee exchange program, the report said. CNN has reached out to the Chinese Football Association.

The report didn’t mention the nationalities of other referees implicated. However, Japanese media reports that the Japan Football Association (JFA) is investigating allegations that four Japanese referees were involved. In response to CNN’s request for comment, the JFA said it was “currently investigating the matter.”

The South Korean government investigation concluded that this was an institutional problem – mostly handled by one employee but done with the organization’s approval. The audit analyzed KFA credit card records and interviewed its employees, who said that the money spent at massage parlors included payments for sexual services – and claimed it was done at the request of foreign referees.

Despite the credit card records, however, the prosecutor’s office concluded in December 2017 that there was insufficient evidence – and did not pursue the case any further.

When asked by CNN for comment on Monday, the sports ministry confirmed that it had referred the matter for further investigation and ordered the KFA to take action. “Although the incident (initial report) occurred about 10 years ago, the ministry is closely monitoring the matter because of its significance,” it said.

In JTBC’s report, the KFA said it had introduced a “clean card system” in 2013, making it impossible to use corporate cards at locations such as massage parlors or karaoke bars.

The association also told JTBC that it now hires separate liaison officers rather than using its own staff to assist referees. While transportation, accommodation and meals are provided, the only gifts given to referees are souvenirs, such as red ginseng, it said.

CNN has reached out to the KFA for comment.

The KFA has already been under public scrutiny and anger in recent months after Korea’s disappointing performance in the 2026 World Cup, and over a lack of transparency in the appointment of the former national team coach.

After the team’s exit from the World Cup during the group stage, even South Korean President Lee Jae Myung demanded an investigation into the association, and the national team coach resigned.

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