"Why is the sports community getting involved in elections?"... Suwon City Sports Council General Assembly remarks stir controversy

"Is it a problem to make endorsement statements (for certain candidates in local elections) while receiving budgets (from local governments)?"

This remark came from the chairman of Sport A at a special general assembly of the Suwon City Sports Council held on the 14th of last month.

The controversial statement was made at the first special general assembly of 2026, attended by delegates from approximately 60 affiliated sports organizations. It occurred during the free discussion period after all agenda items had been resolved.

Chairman A stated at the meeting that "it is not right to question endorsements (for specific candidates) while bringing all the budget from the city."

He then raised his voice, hypothesizing a case where the sports council chairman took the opposite stance from a leading candidate, saying "our sports will all die" and "what will we do if elite structural restructuring is implemented?"

He also brought up past examples. Chairman A said that the same occurred in city administration 20 years ago, stating that "the chairmen all went and helped out." This was meant to convey that sports leaders moved together, rather than offering individual support.

The remarks continued for nearly two minutes, but there was no interruption in the meeting hall. After the remarks ended, the moderator's only comment was "it seems you're speaking a bit too long." This was a point about time, not content.

After the general assembly ended, some sports leaders were unable to hide their discomfort. The concern is that the sports council, which operates on city budgets, could appear to be stepping into the election arena.

One sports leader said, "Receiving budget support and helping with elections are completely different matters," adding "I was ashamed that such remarks were made so casually in the general assembly hall."

In fact, most of the sports council's budget is made up of city subsidies. The Public Official Election Act prohibits organizations receiving subsidies from local governments from conducting election campaigns under the organization's or representative's name.

The law was even revised six years ago to separate sports from politics. In the past, local government heads served concurrently as sports council chairs, leading to repeated criticism that sports were being mobilized as electoral organizations. In January 2020, an amendment to the National Sports Promotion Act prohibited concurrent positions, leading to the current system of elected sports council chairmen. The remark by Chairman A, saying that because they receive budget they must help with elections, directly contradicts this purpose, according to these observers.

Another sports leader pointed out, "That day was an official meeting where bylaws were amended and agenda items were voted on, and meeting minutes were recorded," and "the problem is that no one mentioned political neutrality during the discussion of trading budget for endorsements."

In response, the Suwon City Sports Council stated, "It was an unexpected individual remark made during a free discussion period after the general assembly had essentially concluded," and "we will take precautions going forward to prevent misunderstandings and such remarks from occurring again, and will work to prevent recurrence."