Special Audit on Assault and Bribery of Former Ice Hockey Coach Nearly Buried

Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education "Strict Punishment if Illegalities Confirmed After Special Audit"
Multiple Complaints Filed After Police 'No Prosecution' Decision
Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency Also Announces Plan to Reinvestigate Case

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will conduct a special audit to investigate allegations of student assault and bribery involving the coach of a high school ice hockey team in Songpa-gu, Seoul.

On the 9th, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "We will ascertain the facts through an audit starting after the 16th, and if any violations are confirmed, we plan to impose strict penalties in accordance with relevant laws and regulations."

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, in February of last year, an anonymous tip and a USB containing footage of the assault arrived by mail at a high school in Seoul, and the school became aware of the coach's violent behavior. Subsequently, the school filed a child abuse report with the Songpa Police Station, and in March of the same year, the police decided not to prosecute.

The whistleblower filed a complaint with the Gangdong Songpa Office of Education in March last year, the month following the police decision, requesting a reinvestigation of the coach's violent acts. A special inspection was conducted, but no evidence or testimony of violence was secured. The school administrators were urged to enforce strict management, provide violence prevention education, and human rights education, and were asked to discuss disciplinary measures for the coach related to the police investigation.

The case, which had nearly been buried several times, resurfaced in January of this year. A complaint was again filed with the Gangdong Songpa Office of Education requesting an investigation into habitual assault, bribery, and illegal fundraising. As a result of three special inspections, it was confirmed that additional investigation was needed regarding the video of assault at a university ice rink training center, phone conversations among parents who provided money, and deposits made into personal accounts under the pretext of equipment purchase fees. The Office of Education requested a special audit from the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education’s Audit Office.

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education stated, "We recognize eradicating violence in school sports teams and protecting the human rights of student athletes as our top priority," adding, "We will strengthen disciplinary standards for violence by school sports team coaches in the first half of the year and conduct an annual survey on violence victimization among all student athletes, considering the characteristics of sports-related violence, which is often concealed."

The Office of Education will mandate four hours of human rights education and require at least one session per semester of school violence prevention education for student athletes, parents, and coaches. There are plans to expand education for parents on how to report and respond to misconduct or abuse of power by coaches.

Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Violent Crime Investigation Unit also announced plans to reinvestigate the assault case involving the coach. The Songpa Police Station began an investigation last February following the school’s request but forwarded Coach A to the prosecution with a non-prosecution opinion. The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office, which took over the case, closed it in March of the same year without indictment. This was due to testimony from some senior students stating they asked to be hit as part of a team morale improvement effort. Under criminal law, assault with the victim’s consent is considered a "justification for illegality," meaning no crime is established.

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