"Asked for Help but..." Citizens Outraged Over the Story Behind the Death of the Late Choi Sook-hyun

On the 26th of last month, late triathlon national athlete Choi Sook-hyun took extreme measures at the dormitory
Repeatedly subjected to harsh treatment, including being forced to eat 200,000 won worth of bread at once
Korea Triathlon Federation "Strict action following Sports Fair Committee review"

On the 26th of last month, the late triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun, who made an extreme choice, is seen wearing a gold medal after participating in the '2013 National Marine Sports Festival.' Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] The story of the late triathlon (ironman triathlon) national athlete Choi Sook-hyun (24), who suffered from harsh treatment by her team coach and others and made an extreme choice on the 26th of last month, has come to light, sparking public outrage.

In particular, as allegations have been raised that Choi repeatedly sought help while enduring verbal abuse and physical violence during her lifetime, but these were ignored or the incidents were covered up, voices demanding the disclosure of the perpetrators' identities and strict punishment are growing louder.

According to the information revealed, Choi was continuously bullied by the coach of her former team Gyeongju City Hall, the team doctor, and some senior players. It is known that Choi was forced to eat 200,000 won worth of bread simply because she ordered a carbonated drink at a team dinner with Gyeongju City Hall members. She was also punished for not reporting eating one peach and was starved for three days and slapped on the cheek with a slipper for failing to control her weight.

The problem lies in the fact that Choi, unable to endure any longer, filed a complaint against the perpetrators and repeatedly sought help from the Korea Sports Council and others, but these requests were ignored or twisted to suggest that Choi had mental health issues.

On the 2nd, a petition was posted on the Blue House National Petition Board asking to clear Choi’s grievances.

The petitioner, claiming to be an acquaintance of Choi, stated, "At (her former team) Gyeongju City Hall, she had to endure unspeakable physical violence, verbal abuse, threats, power harassment, and even sexual harassment," adding, "These acts of violence were not one-time incidents but continuous and repetitive."

A petition posted on the Blue House National Petition Board on the 2nd requesting to clear the late Choi Sook-hyun's grievances. Photo by Blue House National Petition Board capture

According to the petitioner, Choi filed a complaint in February against the Gyeongju City Hall coach who assaulted her, the team doctor, and some players. In April, she reported and submitted petitions to the Korea Sports Council Sports Human Rights Center, the Korea Triathlon Federation, Gyeongju City Hall, and Gyeongju Police Station.

Regarding this, the petitioner claimed, "The reality Choi faced after initiating legal procedures was extremely miserable," and "All public institutions and responsible departments she sought help from ignored her and showed only fear of the incident leaking out rather than resolving it."

They added, "Because of this, Choi Sook-hyun had to endure life under extreme psychological pressure and stress, thinking that even powerful people and the state might not protect her rights, which was a greater despair than when she was being abused."

As of 9:50 a.m. on the 3rd, the petition had received over 24,000 endorsements. Currently, there are a total of six petitions related to Choi on the petition board.

As the details of the harsh treatment against Choi spread, citizens expressed outrage, demanding the disclosure of the perpetrators' identities and strict punishment.

On online communities and elsewhere, netizens emphasized strict punishment with comments such as, "Not only the perpetrators but also related institutions like the Korea Sports Council should be investigated," "Those who overlooked this and could have prevented the death are all perpetrators," and "We must break the cycle of violence in sports with proper investigations and strong punishments."

There were also growing calls for disclosure of identities, such as "Why consider the human rights of perpetrators who committed such heinous crimes? Reveal their faces immediately," "Disclose all their identities," "Is it right to reveal the face of the late Choi Sook-hyun but blur the perpetrators' faces?" and "All information about those involved in this case should be disclosed so they cannot hold their heads high."

The last message exchanged between the late Choi Sook-hyun, a former national triathlon athlete who suffered from harsh abuse and made an extreme choice, and her mother. Photo by Lee Yong, Office of United Future Party lawmaker

In this regard, President Moon Jae-in instructed on the 2nd, "Regarding the case of the late triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun, Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choi Yoon-hee, who is also a former athlete, should take charge of overseeing overall sports human rights issues."

President Moon pointed out, "Although Choi reported the violence to the Korea Sports Council Sports Human Rights Center on April 8, no proper action was taken, leading to this unfortunate incident, which is truly problematic," and added, "We must thoroughly establish measures to prevent recurrence of such issues related to sports human rights."

Meanwhile, the Korea Triathlon Federation announced on the same day (the 2nd) in a statement, "We will take swift and strict measures."

Park Seok-won, president of the Korea Triathlon Federation, said, "The federation views this incident very seriously. We will take swift and decisive action within the scope of the federation according to the Sports Fairness Committee's review."

The federation is currently conducting its own investigation and plans to hold a Sports Fairness Committee meeting on the 9th to address the issue of harsh treatment.

The case involving Choi is known to have been transferred to the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office Gyeongju Branch after the investigation by the Gyeongju Police Station was completed. The Daegu District Prosecutors' Office is currently conducting an investigation.

※ If you have difficult feelings such as depression or know family or acquaintances experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling at the Suicide Prevention Hotline ☎ 1393, Mental Health Counseling ☎ 1577-0199, Hope Call ☎ 129, Lifeline ☎ 1588-9191, or Youth Hotline ☎ 1388.

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