Soccer Association Reserves Hwang Ui-jo's Participation in Asian Cup..."Until the investigation is concluded"
Hwang Ui-jo (31, Norwich City, photo), a national soccer team striker accused of illegal filming, is unlikely to participate in the Asian Cup in Qatar in January next year. The Korea Football Association said on the 28th that it decided not to select Hwang Ui-jo for the national soccer team until a clear conclusion is reached at a meeting involving ethics committee chairman Lee Yoon-nam, power enhancement committee chairman Michael Mueller, competition committee chairman Jung Hae-sung, and vice chairman Choi Young-il. Lee Yoon-nam, chairman of the ethics committee, said, "We considered that national players are obligated to maintain the honor of the national team with a high degree of morality and responsibility, and that they have to manage various parts of their privacy." He also added, "We considered various circumstances, including concerns about how (the incident) will affect the national team and concerns about what national team fans will feel if Lee plays as a national team member." Hwang Ui-jo is under police investigation for allegedly illegally filming a video that he had never agreed to when he had sex with a woman he had dated in the past (filming using cameras under the Sexual Violence Punishment Act). Hwang Ui-jo, who claimed to be the victim of a sex video leak in June, was converted to a suspect in a police investigation this month. Hwang Ui-jo claims that the video was filmed under the agreement, but the victim denies it. The police investigation was even more shocked when it was revealed that the video distributor was Hwang Ui-jo's brother-in-law. Despite the controversy, Hwang Ui-jo was called up to the national soccer team three times, in September, October and November, and played in a total of six games. In particular, this month's call-up drew criticism from fans as he played as a substitute in an away game in China on the 21st, despite being known to have been investigated as a suspect in a police investigation on the 18th. In the end, the association needed to seek a breakthrough and concluded that Hwang Ui-jo's call-up to the national team was put on hold until a clear conclusion was reached in the police investigation. Jürgen Klinsmann, the national team coach, said, "I fully understand the current situation and will respect the association's decision," according to the Korea Football Association. Considering the fact that head coach Klinsmann will have to submit his Asian Cup roster (23 players) to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in early January next year, Hwang Ui-jo's participation in the Asian Cup will be virtually difficult. An official from the association said, "In order for Hwang Ui-jo to participate in the Asian Cup, he must receive a 'disprosecution disposition' from the investigative agency before that."