Moon calls for full probe into alleged bullying of late triathlete

Jul 08, 2020, 08:39 am

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President Moon Jae-in speaks during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul on July 7, 2020./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Lee Seok-jong

President Moon Jae-in called Tuesday for a thorough investigation into allegations of abuse following the suicide of former triathlete Choi Sook-hyeon. The president also instructed related ministries to swiftly come up with effective prevention measures.

“Such unfortunate incidents must never happen again,” said President Moon Jae-in at a Cabinet meeting at his office.

“Reasonable punishment and responsibility should follow via a thorough investigation,” he said. “If it is true that the victim never received proper help from the police, the federation, the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and the city government of Gyeongju despite having sought their help, this is a problem that must be addressed,” Moon said.

“Abuse and violence against athletes are unjustifiable remnants of the olden days. The sports community must depart from such habitual, backward practice,” the president said.

“Recognition and culture should be changed first,” he said. “If training involves abuse and violence, even winning a medal won’t be a valuable thing.”

The president instructed relevant government offices to draw up measures to prevent a similar case from happening.

He also called on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to be quick and active in addressing the problem and especially ordered its female Vice Minister Choi Yoon-hee, who was a swimming star, to “play a bigger role,” noting that the victims of such abuses or sexual assault in the local sports community are mostly women.

The president ordered the sports ministry to make sure it earns the people’s trust, saying, “The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism should play a role to swiftly and actively correct various irrationalities in the sports community.”

The sports ministry held a meeting with related organizations at the Seoul Government Complex to draw up measures related to human rights infringement of triathletes and discuss ways to better protect athletes. The ministry also vowed to work closely with relevant organizations, including the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Justice, and the police to eradicate human rights violations in sports. The meeting was attended by Sports Minister Park Yang-woo, Gender Minister Lee Jung-ok and senior officials from the Supreme Prosecutors Office, National Police Agency and National Human Rights Commission.

The National Police Agency pledged to create a special unit to handle sports-related cases. The National Human Rights Commission recommended President Moon to change the violent environment and structure of the sports community.

#Moon Jae-in #Choi Sook-hyeon #triathlete #bullying #sports