"No Evidence to Refute..." Late Athlete Choi Sook-hyun's Final Voice Recording

Korean Sport & Olympic Committee: "Four Days Before Death, Evidence Discovered, Requested Related Materials"

ID photo of the late athlete Choi Sook-hyun in 2016, who took her own life due to harsh treatment. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The content of a phone call lasting about 10 minutes between the late triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun and an investigator from the Korea Sports Human Rights Center was revealed, which took place the day before her tragic death. In the call, the late athlete expressed disappointment upon hearing that the perpetrators had submitted rebuttal evidence.

According to YTN on the 7th, Choi spoke with the investigator from the Korea Sports Council after finishing training on the 25th of last month, the day before her death.

During the call, Choi said, "They always told us it was for plane tickets and collected money, but they never said it would be used for training expenses," adding, "It turned out that the Gyeongju City Hall covered all the plane ticket costs."

When the investigator said, "Other athletes have all submitted statements to the other side (the perpetrators). If you have any evidence to refute, please send it," Choi replied, "We don't have anything like that right now."

When asked to send any notifications of opinions received, Choi said, "I only received a notice that it has been forwarded to the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office."

Photo by YTN News screen capture

Additionally, the investigator requested, "Please organize the details of how much was deposited and how many times from when to when," and "If there are any additional materials regarding the amounts sent as plane ticket costs, please send them." As the demands for evidence continued, Choi became increasingly disheartened during the call.

The investigator ended the call by urging, "You made a difficult choice to file a complaint, so we need to properly investigate this. Even if it’s a bit hard to get in touch, please contact frequently and answer my calls well."

A teammate of Choi told YTN in an interview, "I heard that Gyeongju City Hall hired a lawyer and is denying everything," and added, "She said it felt like there was nothing she could do."

Regarding this, the Korea Sports Council explained, "When we first received the complaint on April 8, there was no mention of assault recordings or deposit records," and "It was only four days before her death that we became aware of the existence of this evidence and requested related materials."

Meanwhile, on the morning of the 26th of last month, Choi was found dead at a lodging in Busan after leaving a text message to her family saying, "Please reveal the crimes of those who tormented me."

Choi, a graduate of Gyeongbuk Physical Education High School in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, was active in the Gyeongju City Hall workplace sports team in 2017 and 2019 before moving to the Busan City Hall team earlier this year. She had suffered continuous group bullying and violence during her lifetime.

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