Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Demands Warning for Korea Sports Council President and Dismissal of Secretary General over Late Choi Sook-hyun Case

Director of Sports Department Removed from Position... Former Director and Sports Policy Division Chief Receive 'Strict Warning' and Other Internal Disciplinary Actions

Choi Yoon-hee, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is announcing the results of the special investigation into the harsh treatment of triathlon athletes and the promotion plan for human rights protection in the sports sector on the morning of the 28th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism issued a stern warning to the president of the Korea Sports Council, holding him accountable for the late Choi Sook-hyun triathlon athlete incident, and demanded the dismissal of the Sports Council Secretary-General as well as an investigation request for officials of the Korea Triathlon Federation. The ministry also took disciplinary actions against current and former officials responsible for supervision and management due to negligence.

On the 28th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the special investigation results on the 'Triathlon Athlete Abuse Incident' at the briefing room of the Seoul Government Complex annex.

The ministry stated, "Due to the complacent and passive response and inadequate investigation by the Korea Sports Council and other sports organizations, the athlete did not receive timely relief," and added, "We have issued a stern warning to the president of the Korea Sports Council and demanded the dismissal of the Secretary-General, holding them accountable for the overall management failure."

Additionally, the ministry removed the Sports Bureau Director from his post for practical responsibility in neglecting supervision duties of the Korea Sports Council, and issued strict warnings to the former Sports Bureau Director and the Sports Policy Division Head.

The ministry also requested investigation and severe disciplinary action against three members of the Korea Triathlon Federation for violating the 'Whistleblower Protection Act,' and demanded disciplinary measures for related personnel, including the head of the Clean Sports Center, who failed to report and supervise during counseling sessions.

Furthermore, to strengthen protection of sports personnel, the ministry plans to legislate measures including ▲ introduction of special sports judicial police ▲ establishment of a Sports Instructor Qualification Committee for prompt and fair administrative actions (cancellation, suspension, etc.) ▲ re-education and qualification renewal for sports instructors ▲ establishment of grounds for public disclosure of lists of corrupt sports instructors and sports organization executives ▲ enactment of regulations for operation of professional teams and mandatory reporting to local government heads ▲ mandatory verification of disciplinary records when hiring or renewing contracts for professional team instructors ▲ expansion of disciplinary information system targets for integrated management of disciplinary information of executives and staff of sports organizations outside regional sports councils.

To prevent human rights violations and abuse in sports, the ministry will strengthen the functions and investigative authority of the Sports Ethics Center, significantly expand personnel and budget by 2021, and establish three regional offices to promptly respond to human rights violations occurring locally.

The Sports Ethics Center will begin receiving reports and conducting investigations from early September after preparing internal regulations, reporting systems, cooperation frameworks with external agencies such as the National Police Agency, and discussions on dispatching police personnel.

Choi Yoon-hee, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, "This investigation confirmed the poor human rights conditions athletes face in the sports field," and added, "We will strive not only to improve systems but also to reform the wrong practices and culture such as performance-obsession and favoritism in the sports world, and do our best to communicate with the field."

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