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/ Lee Chun-soo's YouTube

Former footballer Lee Chun-soo issued a sharp critique regarding the sex bribery controversy that erupted within the Korea Football Association (KFA), arguing that those implicated should issue a public apology and step away from Korean football entirely.

Lee shared his views on the KFA sex bribery controversy recently on his YouTube channel.

He pointed out that with reform efforts currently underway to overhaul the KFA's organizational structure, genuine change would be difficult to achieve if figures tied to past controversies remain within the organization.

"If even one contaminated person stays, it'll spread again," Lee said, adding, "I've said all along that no matter who becomes chairman, they'll never be able to overcome that organization."

He stressed that this latest controversy in particular is not something that can be resolved through a simple explanation.

"Because of this incident, they need to apologize to the public and resign," Lee said. "There's nothing more to say. It's simply shameful. The more you talk about it, the less sense it makes."

He continued, "Whether it was a staff member or a referee, none of it makes any sense," adding, "The fact that a corporate card was used at a massage parlor doesn't make sense on its own."

He also argued that figures who were involved with the KFA at the time and remain part of the organization today should take responsibility and step down.

"Everyone who was there back then, and everyone who's still there now, all need to quit, no question about it," Lee said. "And it's not enough to just quit. They need to stop hiding, show their faces, and publicly declare they're done working in football."

He also stressed that these individuals should not be allowed to return to football through other organizations, such as professional football clubs.

"They shouldn't go to any pro team — otherwise they could come back, or the contamination spreads again," Lee said. "As someone who played football, the more I talk about this, the more we get dragged into it ourselves." He added, "We'll all just quit. That's all there is to it. There's no other way."

Lee also framed the issue as one tied to the credibility of Korean football as a whole.

"It's an embarrassment to the country and an embarrassment to football," he said. "Because it's a national embarrassment, even Japan is moving on this — isn't that why they're saying they'll quickly move to screen people out?"

He added, "Even before anything came out, didn't they immediately say they'd screen out anyone who received such treatment?" stressing the need for a swift response and investigation into the allegations.

                                                                                                           Jeong A-reum