'Not Guilty of Sexual Assault' Jeong Jong-seon Wins Lawsuit to Nullify Permanent Ban from Football Association

Jeong Jong-seon, former president of the Korea High School Football Federation, who was acquitted in a criminal trial on charges of sexual assault, won a lawsuit challenging his permanent expulsion.

Jeong Jong-seon, former president of the Korea High School Football Federation [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 25th, the Seoul Central District Court Civil Division 48 (Presiding Judge Kim Do-gyun) ruled in favor of Jeong in a lawsuit he filed against the Korea Football Association to nullify the disciplinary decision.

The court stated, "The grounds for the disciplinary action in this case currently lack sufficient evidence to be considered highly probable based on common experience," and added, "The disciplinary grounds have not been proven."

Furthermore, the court said, "The main evidence for the disciplinary grounds is the recorded interviews of the victims submitted by the defendant (related to the sexual assault case), but the criminal case resulted in a not guilty verdict," and "The recordings were made excluding the plaintiff's participation, and there is no indication that the investigator conducted a separate investigation of the plaintiff."

Previously, Jeong was prosecuted in February 2020 on charges of repeatedly sexually assaulting parents under the pretext of football club operating expenses while serving as the coach of Seoul Eonnam High School in 2016. After the allegations were reported and investigative agencies began their investigation, the Football Association permanently expelled Jeong in 2019.

However, the first and second trials found the victims' testimonies unreliable and acquitted him of the sexual assault charges, and the Supreme Court upheld this ruling.

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