The Chungju Sports Council's Fairness Committee faced criticism during a national assembly audit for referring to a collective sexual assault case involving student athletes as "just a prank" and delaying disciplinary actions.
On October 21, during a hearing of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, lawmaker Jung Yeon-wook raised concerns with Yoon Seung-min, president of the Korean Sports Council, about the committee's handling of the case.
According to Jung, the case was forwarded to the Sports Council after the Sports Ethics Center recognized the collective sexual assault actions of five student athletes and demanded disciplinary measures.
Jung revealed statements made by members of the Chungju Sports Council's Fairness Committee during their meeting. They reportedly said, "If they don't want to play, they can just quit; what does disqualification or suspension even mean?" and, "If they were national athletes, it would be different," adding that such behavior was merely a result of youthful curiosity.
Jung questioned, "Are we saying that if they are not national athletes, there is no need for discipline? If we treat sexual assault as mere curiosity, what is the point of having anti-bullying measures or demanding internal disciplinary actions? Does that make sense?"
When asked if he had identified the committee member who made those remarks, Yoon replied, "I have not been able to confirm that yet."
Criticism also arose regarding the disciplinary process. The Chungju Sports Council's Fairness Committee postponed disciplinary actions until the first-instance criminal trial results were confirmed, citing that no judgment could be made before the court's decision.
Jung stated, "The Sports Ethics Center was established to promote self-regulation within the sports community and protect human rights following the sexual assault allegations made by athlete Shim Seok-hee in 2019. If the Fairness Committee is merely a formality that overturns the Ethics Center's decisions, then what is the point of having it at all?"
He also criticized the Sports Council's approach, saying, "Every time an incident occurs, the Sports Council claims it will conduct a strict investigation through the Ethics Center and promises to change the system, but nothing improves. They always say they cannot make a decision and will just pass it on to the courts."
Finally, he remarked, "Issues in elementary and secondary schools are being revisited even decades later due to bullying, yet we are dismissing sexual assault as a joke. Are we really going to let this slide? Similar incidents are far too common."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.