Arrest of 'Team Doctor' An Juhyun on Charges of Assault and Verbal Abuse of Late Athlete Choi Sukhyeon

Arrested 10 Days After Disappearance on the 1st

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

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] A sports therapist, An Juhyun (45), who was called the team doctor at the Gyeongju City Hall Triathlon team and repeatedly committed assault and abuse against the late athlete Choi Sookhyun and others, was caught by the police 10 days after going missing.

Earlier, An disappeared on the 1st after the controversy escalated due to Choi's extreme choice.

On the 10th, the Gyeongbuk Provincial Police Agency announced, "We obtained an arrest warrant on charges including violation of the Special Act on the Control of Health Crimes and arrested An at his residence in Daegu this morning." The police also conducted a search of An's home to collect evidence that could prove the criminal acts.

An is suspected of assaulting and abusing several athletes, including Choi, while serving as the team doctor for the Gyeongju City Hall Triathlon team.

He is also accused of performing illegal medical treatments on injured athletes and receiving money under the pretext of treatment fees, despite lacking relevant certifications such as a physical therapist license.

According to the police and local sports circles, An only held a level 2 sports therapist certificate and worked at a physical therapy clinic in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk. He joined the team as a "team doctor" the year after the team's founding through an introduction by Jang Yoonjung, the captain of the Gyeongju City Hall Triathlon team.

However, since An was not a medical professional, he could not receive an official salary from Gyeongju City. Accordingly, it is known that An received tens of thousands to over one million won monthly from athletes in the form of a kind of "allowance" under the pretexts of massage, physical therapy, and airfare.

The police have reportedly secured testimonies that An sexually harassed and sexually intimidated female athletes and are currently investigating these allegations.

Meanwhile, the Gyeongbuk Police Agency stated, "To investigate the abuse within the Gyeongju City Hall Triathlon team, the dedicated investigation team has been expanded from two to four teams within the metropolitan investigation unit, and testimonies from current and former athletes reporting assault and other damages have been secured."

The Gyeongbuk Police added, "To ensure a swift investigation, we have established a close cooperative system with the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office special investigation team and will also make every effort to protect victims through psychological counseling and other measures."

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