"Confirmed: Noh Seon-yeong to Compensate Kim Bo-reum 3 Million Won... End of Bullying Controversy"

Speed skating athlete Kim Bo-reum has been finally confirmed to have won partial victory in a civil lawsuit she filed against her teammate Noh Seon-yeong, claiming to be a victim of bullying.

Kim Bo-reum (left), Noh Seon-yeong [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Civil Division 13 of the Seoul High Court ruled on the 21st of last month in the appellate trial that "Noh Seon-yeong must compensate Kim Bo-reum 3 million won," and since neither party appealed within the deadline, the judgment was finalized.

Accordingly, the legal dispute between the two ended after two and a half years with Kim Bo-reum's partial victory.

Kim Bo-reum had faced allegations of so-called ‘wangtta’ (ostracism) against Noh Seon-yeong following the women's team pursuit quarterfinals at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

However, an audit by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism found no evidence of intentional ostracism, and rather, Kim Bo-reum claimed that from 2010 until the 2018 Olympics, she had been subjected to training interference and verbal abuse by Noh Seon-yeong, filing a damages lawsuit demanding 200 million won against Noh at the Seoul Central District Court.

In the first trial held last year, the court recognized that "Noh Seon-yeong verbally abused and cursed junior Kim Bo-reum for skating faster lap times between November and December 2017," and ruled that "Noh Seon-yeong must pay 3 million won in compensation." The appellate court last month dismissed both parties' appeals and upheld the first trial's decision.

The appellate court stated, "Both sides may feel wronged, but neither side was completely right," and proposed a settlement to both parties, but it failed.

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