Prosecutors Demand 1-Year Prison Sentence for Short Track Skater Im Hyo-jun Who Pulled Down Fellow Male Athlete's Pants

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] The prosecution has requested a sentence of one year in prison with a two-year probation for former short track national team member Lim Hyo-jun (34), who was tried on charges of sexually harassing a same-sex teammate during training.

On the morning of the 26th, at the sentencing hearing held before Judge Oh Deok-sik of the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 20, the prosecution asked the court to impose this sentence on Lim. The prosecution stated, "We considered the fact that Lim received a suspension of athlete qualification."

Earlier, the Korea Skating Union judged Lim's actions as sexual harassment in August last year and imposed a one-year suspension of athlete qualification.

During the hearing, Lim said, "I have trained with (the victim) for over nine years and we have been close like friends," adding, "Although it was a joke, I regret causing feelings of shame."

Lim is accused of pulling down the pants of junior team member A, who was climbing training equipment during physical training at the Jincheon National Team Training Center Weight Training Center around 5 p.m. on June 17 last year, exposing a body part.

The prosecution applied charges of forcible sexual assault and referred Lim to trial in December last year.

The sentencing hearing for Lim is scheduled to be held at 2 p.m. on May 7.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.