After Saying "Bite Your Teeth," a Thud Sound... Allegations of Concealing Abuse of Late Choi Sook-hyun

On the 1st, Rep. Lee Yong of the United Future Party revealed the contents of the last message sent by national team athlete Choi Sook-hyun to her mother at a press conference held at the National Assembly. / Photo by Lee Yong

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Juhyung] On the 26th of last month, a recording revealing verbal abuse and physical assault against the late (deceased) Choi Sookhyun (22), a former national triathlon athlete who took an extreme measure at her team's lodging, was made public. The bereaved family is demanding a thorough investigation, stating that Choi suffered harsh treatment from former team officials.

On the 1st, 'YTN' released a recording containing evidence that players and officials from Gyeongju City Hall, Choi’s former team, subjected her to cruel treatment.

According to the recording, they verbally abused Choi with remarks such as "You did two training sessions and didn’t even eat a meal, yet you gained weight," and "You did wrong, so starve for three days," and after telling her to "clench your teeth," they physically assaulted her.

On the same day, Lee Yong, a former bobsleigh coach and member of the United Future Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office, stating, "(Choi) reported the matter to the Korea Sports Council’s Sports Human Rights Center and urged an investigation, but time was endlessly wasted," and "She sent petitions to the Korea Sports Council and the Korea Triathlon Federation, but no follow-up actions were taken."

Lee Yong, a member of the United Future Party, is holding a press conference on the morning of the 1st at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, urging a thorough investigation by related agencies into the death of triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun. / Photo by Yonhap News

He added, "The Gyeongbuk Sports Council did not root out corruption but instead pressured Choi’s father to settle and tried to cover up the incident."

He continued, "No one stepped forward to correct the situation, and the psychological pressure and burden felt by the 23-year-old athlete due to the hush-hush attempts at appeasement using every possible method must have been enormous," expressing, "The despair of 'There is no one on my side anywhere in the world' led her to take an extreme measure."

Lee also revealed the last message Choi sent to her mother before her death. In the secret messenger chat, Choi pleaded, "Mom, I love you. Please reveal the guilt of those people."

Earlier, Choi ended her life by an extreme measure on the morning of the 26th in Busan. It was confirmed that in April, Choi reported to the Korea Sports Council’s Sports Human Rights Center that she had been subjected to physical assault and verbal abuse by players and officials of Gyeongju City Hall.

The bereaved family claimed, "While affiliated with Gyeongju City Hall, she was physically and verbally abused by coaches and seniors, and false rumors were spread that damaged her reputation," and "Even after submitting petitions to the Korea Sports Council and the Korea Triathlon Federation, no action was taken."

Amid growing controversy, Park Seokwon, president of the Korea Triathlon Federation, issued a statement on the 1st, saying, "Thinking about the pain and suffering that Choi Sookhyun must have endured, I cannot help but feel devastated and sorrowful," and "We view this incident very seriously and will take the fastest and most decisive measures possible through the Sports Fairness Committee review."

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