Human Rights Commission: "Jeon Myeong-gyu Negligent in Protective Measures for Late No Jin-gyu for the Olympics"

Portrait photo of the late player No Jin-gyu.

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-ju] The National Human Rights Commission of Korea has determined that Jeon Myeong-gyu (58), former professor at Korea National Sport University, neglected protective measures for short track speed skater the late Noh Jin-gyu, who suffered a shoulder injury, prioritizing short-term achievements such as securing Olympic qualification over the athlete's health.

According to the anonymous decision document released by the Human Rights Commission on the 17th, instead of accepting the complaint filed by Noh's bereaved family, the commission expressed opinions to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, the President of the Korea Skating Union, and the President of Korea National Sport University to prevent recurrence based on this judgment.

Noh, a leading figure in Korean men's short track, was diagnosed with a tumor in his shoulder following a biopsy after the first round of the World Cup series in September 2013, but postponed surgery until after the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics scheduled for the following year. However, in January 2014, he fractured his elbow during training, which led to his Olympic participation being canceled.

During treatment for his shoulder, the tumor was diagnosed as a malignant osteosarcoma. Despite undergoing major surgery and chemotherapy, he ultimately passed away in 2016 without recovery.

After Noh's death, his mother claimed that former professor Jeon had prevented the surgery, and in 2019, the bereaved family filed a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against Jeon and the coaching staff. In response, Jeon and others argued that participating in multiple competitions to qualify for the Olympics was a decision made independently after reviewing diagnoses from external hospitals.

However, after reviewing Noh's diary and text messages, the Human Rights Commission concluded that "it is difficult to see that the victim's participation in the 3rd and 4th World Cups of 2013-14 and the 26th Winter Universiade, which were tied to qualification for the Sochi Olympic individual events, was based on the victim's own will."

Regarding the coaching staff, the commission stated, "It appears that the coaches prioritized the interests of the sport federation or leadership, such as securing South Korea's qualification for the Sochi Olympic short track individual events or achieving excellent results, over the safety, health, and long-term career management of the seriously injured victim."

However, the commission dismissed the complaint itself, noting that these events occurred between 2013 and 2014 and the statute of limitations had expired, and that forcing participation in competitions was difficult to consider as criminal coercion, instead issuing an opinion statement.

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