Yoo Seung-min, president of the Korean Sports Council, has been cleared of allegations that he misappropriated sponsorship funds during his tenure as president of the Korean Table Tennis Association.
According to police sources on July 7, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crimes Investigation Unit decided not to pursue charges against Yoo due to insufficient evidence regarding allegations of breach of duty and obstruction of business.
Yoo, along with Kim Taek-soo, head of the Jincheon National Training Center and former vice president of the table tennis association, and Jeong Hae-cheon, former secretary general of the association, were all found to have no charges against them.
Last July, civic groups including the Sports Citizens' Alliance and the Cultural Alliance filed a complaint with the Seoul police, claiming that Yoo operated a sponsorship incentive system based on regulations that had lost their validity, causing financial harm to the association.
They alleged that an individual identified as A, the brother of Yoo's agency representative, received approximately 200 million won in incentives, which they claimed actually belonged to Yoo and was funneled through a proxy.
In October of last year, police formally began an investigation, identifying Yoo and others as suspects. They conducted searches of the office and home of Jeong, and on June 8, they summoned Yoo for questioning.
However, the police concluded that Yoo and others did not have the authority to decide on performance bonuses, making it difficult to establish charges of breach of duty. They also found a lack of objective evidence to support claims that the 200 million won was funneled to Yoo.
Additionally, regarding allegations of interference in the selection process for the national team for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, police determined that Yoo and Kim acted within their legitimate authority.
Furthermore, various allegations concerning the selection of venues for division league matches, visits to U.S. leagues, and personal use of sponsorship airline tickets were also deemed to lack sufficient evidence to substantiate any criminal activity, leading to a final conclusion of no charges.
In response to the police's decision, the complainants, including the Sports Citizens' Alliance, are reportedly considering requesting a re-investigation.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.