Minbyeongdae Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member Demands Eradication of Violence and Abuse Against Athletes

Min Byung-dae, Jeonnam Provincial Assembly Member

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] Jeollanam-do Provincial Council announced on the 10th that the partial amendment ordinance of the "Jeollanam-do Sports Promotion and Support Ordinance," which was proposed by Assemblyman Min Byeong-dae on the 8th, has passed the review of the Economic Tourism and Culture Committee.

This ordinance was prepared in response to the recent series of violence issues in the sports community and the ongoing social problems caused by violence and human rights violations against athletes due to harsh treatment.

Last year, when the ice skating sexual violence incident surfaced, the National Sports Promotion Act was amended (effective August 5) to eradicate violence and corruption in sports, establishing the basis for the creation of the Sports Ethics Center.

However, just two months before the establishment, the case of athlete Choi Sook-hyun, who made an extreme choice due to severe violence from team coaches, revealed once again the widespread violence in the sports community.

Subsequently, the amendment to the National Sports Promotion Act, which strengthens the investigative authority of the "Sports Ethics Center," passed the National Assembly last month, further reinforcing the legal grounds to resolve human rights violations in sports.

According to this ordinance, the governor must prepare policies to protect athletes and other sports persons and conduct a status survey every two years to prevent human rights violations and violence against them.

Additionally, athletes and other sports persons must be actively guided and promoted to report any human rights violations or violence to the Sports Ethics Center, and sports human rights education must be conducted at least once a year.

Furthermore, to provide practical sports human rights education, human rights education instructors will be trained, and a council of related parties will be formed to support efficient sports human rights education.

Assemblyman Min Byeong-dae emphasized, "Incidents like the case of athlete Choi Sook-hyun in the sports community are not just recent occurrences," and added, "It is necessary to correct the culture of violence in sports and create a healthy and transparent sports environment where athletes and others are respected as individuals."

He continued, "Through this ordinance amendment, we will strengthen the system so that athletes in the province do not experience issues such as violence and human rights violations, and create conditions for thorough investigation with prompt response when problems arise."

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