Gyeongju City Suspends Coach in Choi Sook-hyun Case... "Considering Team Disbandment"

A 23-year-old triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun, who played as a national representative and youth representative, winning a gold medal at the 2013 National Marine Sports Festival. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] On the 3rd, Gyeongju City announced that it has suspended the duties of the coach of the team involved in the case of the late triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun, who suffered from harsh abuse by her team and made an extreme choice, holding the coach accountable for management responsibility.

On the 2nd, the Gyeongju City Sports Council formed an operating committee (Chairman: Sports Council Chairman Yeo Jun-gi) consisting of six members, including three outsiders, and conducted a fact-finding investigation with the coach and two fellow athletes who were identified as involved parties in attendance.

During the two-hour meeting, Gyeongju City explained that it decided to suspend the coach’s duties and plans to impose severe disciplinary actions such as dismissal depending on the results of the upcoming prosecution investigation. In addition, regarding the team doctor known to be involved in the assault, the Gyeongju City Sports Council plans to file a complaint if any illegal or unfair matters are found after further investigation.

Mayor Joo Nak-young expressed condolences in a statement, saying, "The Gyeongju City Hall triathlon team has been training while staying in Gyeongsan City, so there was a lack of thorough supervision regarding what happened within the team," and added, "As the mayor, I feel deeply sorry that the athlete went through difficult times as a member of the Gyeongju City Hall team."

He continued, "Currently, this case has been sent to the prosecution and is under investigation, and we will actively cooperate with the investigation to ensure thorough fact-finding and identification of responsibility," emphasizing, "We will take strong measures including disbanding the team and devising preventive measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur."

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