Im Oh-kyung: "Director, Not Only Indiscriminate Assault but Also Assault Teacher and Aiding Crime"
Kim Do-hwan of the Gyeongju City Triathlon Team, who belatedly admitted to abusing the late athlete Choi Sook-hyun, is responding to questions from lawmakers at the hearing on "Abuse of Triathlon Athletes and Human Rights Violations in the Sports Sector" held by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 22nd. / Photo by Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Additional evidence of abuse by four key perpetrators?Kim Gyu-bong, the coach of Gyeongju City Hall whom the late triathlon athlete Choi Sook-hyun had accused of assaulting her, player Jang Yoon-jung, player Kim Do-hwan, and team doctor Ahn Joo-hyun?has come to light.
On the 22nd, Im Oh-kyung, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, disclosed materials containing evidence of abuse by these accused perpetrators during a hearing on "Abuse of Triathlon Athletes and Human Rights Violations in the Sports Sector" held by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.
The materials include a statement from the late athlete dated March 19, written during an internal investigation by Gyeongju City Hall, as well as telephone testimonies from two additional victims who recently filed complaints against former coach Kim and player Jang, given during an investigation at Gyeongju City Hall in February.
In the statement, athlete Choi complained of abuse such as "being beaten for about an hour for eating one peach and not reporting it," "player Jang spreading malicious rumors," and "(player Kim) verbally abusing me for even the slightest mistake."
The two additional victims claimed in their February telephone testimonies that they were frequently subjected to verbal and physical abuse by player Jang and player Kim. They also revealed that training fees were deposited into the team doctor's bank account.
Player Kim appeared as a witness at the hearing that day. Based on the submitted evidence, Representative Im questioned the witness about whether coach Kim had committed acts of violence.
When Im asked player Kim, "According to the testimonies, player Jang led acts of violence, verbal abuse, ostracism, and abuse of power. Have you witnessed this?" player Kim answered, "Yes."
Player Kim also confessed that he himself was assaulted by coach Kim. He described Kim as "a father-like figure" to him but added, "I have been physically assaulted by the coach, and I have seen the coach assault other players."
Additionally, player Kim stated that in 2017, he witnessed team doctor Ahn assaulting someone under the watch of coach Kim at the dormitory.
Representative Im pointed out, "On the 6th at the National Assembly, former coach Kim testified that he never assaulted anyone and that he stopped Ahn's assault," but added, "According to the players' testimonies, the coach not only committed indiscriminate direct assaults but also instructed and abetted Ahn's assaults."
He further noted, "Under Article 31 of the Criminal Act, a person who instructs another to commit a crime shall be punished with the same penalty as the person who actually commits the crime."
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