Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Park Yang-woo is greeting at the full meeting of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of the 6th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Park Yang-woo, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated on the 6th regarding the death of triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun, "We will do our utmost to thoroughly investigate the truth of this incident and strictly hold the perpetrators and related parties accountable to prevent such cases from recurring."
Minister Park said at the urgent inquiry session of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly that morning, "I express my deep condolences on the death of the late athlete Choi Sook-hyun, and as the head of the relevant ministry, I feel a heavy responsibility."
He added, "I find it even more regrettable as this incident occurred during the process of implementing the innovation recommendations of the Sports Innovation Committee, which was established following last year's Me Too movement in the sports world," and pledged, "We intend to use this incident as an opportunity to eradicate the bad customs and practices in the sports community."
Since the 2nd, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has launched a special investigation and audit targeting the Korean Sports Council, the Korea Triathlon Federation, the Gyeongbuk Sports Council, and the Gyeongju City Sports Council. A special investigation team consisting of 13 members in two teams, led by Vice Minister Choi Yoon-hee, is in charge. Regarding Gyeongju City, which is responsible for managing the professional team, an audit request was made to Gyeongbuk Province on the 4th.
The investigation team plans to examine whether the handling of the late Choi Sook-hyun’s reports was appropriate and to inspect the overall athlete human rights protection system, including the Sports Clean Center of the Korean Sports Council. They will also conduct a cause analysis of human rights violations against athletes and prepare countermeasures. After compiling the audit and investigation results, they plan to derive disciplinary demands and improvement measures.
Minister Park said, "We will closely cooperate with the prosecution, police, and the Human Rights Commission’s special sports investigation team during the investigation," and added, "We will identify the facts of the allegations, hold the perpetrators and related parties accountable, and verify whether the existing sports misconduct response system is functioning properly and what needs to be reinforced."
Meanwhile, the late athlete Choi Sook-hyun had suffered from violence and harsh treatment within the team for a long time. In February, she filed complaints against the Gyeongju City Hall coach and team doctor, and in April, she reported the violent acts to the Korean Sports Council and the Korea Triathlon Federation. However, as no separate measures were taken, she took her own life on the 26th of last month.
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