[Summary] Im Oh-kyung Refutes 'Assault During Coaching' Allegations: "I Have Never Hit Anyone in 39 Years"

"Reveal the Truth About the Assault on the Athlete-Legislator" Cheong Wa Dae Petition
Im O-gyeong Responds "Baseless" to Petition on "Athlete Assault"

Im Oh-kyung, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Im O-kyung, a former national handball player and a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, denied allegations on the 25th that she had assaulted players during her time as a coach, stating, "In my 39 years on the field, I have never once disciplined players by hitting them." Im is also the protagonist of the movie 'Forever the Moment' (Wusaengsun), which tells the story of the women's national handball team.

Im appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' that day and said, "I am still in contact with all my former students. It seems someone is maliciously trying to tarnish the relationship between a teacher and students," addressing the allegations.

Regarding the assault allegations, she explained, "It’s an 'if not, then forget it' type of expression," adding, "Since I was the first female coach, if such an incident had been reported, there would have been strong rebuttals against me on the field."

She continued, "At the time, I was in a vulnerable position on the field. Female coaches in ball sports were rare, so I experienced a lot of hardships as the first female coach," she added.

Im also emphasized, "I faced many checks and pressures in everything, but what helped me overcome them was that I lived comfortably with the players like a real family beyond just being a coach and player, and I valued the players as much as my own life."

On the 20th, a petition alleging that Im Okyeong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, assaulted players during her time as a coach was posted. The petition is currently not searchable. Photo by the Blue House National Petition Board capture.

Earlier, a petition titled 'Please reveal the facts about the assault by a former athlete turned lawmaker while serving as a coach' was posted on the Blue House's National Petition Board on the 20th, causing a stir.

The petitioner stated, "A current female lawmaker, a former national representative, assaulted players while serving as a coach for a certain city hall ball sports team, leaving serious injuries."

They added, "At the time, the association conducted confrontational questioning and reviewed photographic evidence, but due to widespread lobbying by fellow athletes, there was no media coverage. It is believed that a player who was a starter on a certain corporate team still lives with painful memories." Netizens speculated that the person in question was Im, who served as the coach of the Seoul City Hall women's handball team.

In response to the controversy, Im’s side released a statement saying, "The contents mentioned are completely untrue. The writer is a third party, not the person involved in the assault."

They continued, "If the petition’s contents were true and disciplinary action had been taken, the results would have been reported to the higher organization, the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee, and registered in the disciplinary information system. Upon checking with the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee, there has been no report from the Korea Handball Federation regarding this matter."

Im’s side also stated, "If such a report had been made to the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee, Im would not have been appointed as a director of the committee in 2018." They emphasized, "Im has achieved the most legislative revisions regarding violence and incidents in the sports world and is working hard to establish countermeasures. We hope these efforts and achievements are not overshadowed by malicious falsehoods."

Meanwhile, the petition is currently not searchable. Petitions require prior consent from more than 100 people to be officially registered. However, even if more than 100 consents are obtained, petitions containing false information or defamation may be made private.

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