[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The Korea Curling Federation announced on the 30th that it has permanently expelled the Kim Kyung-du family following the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's special audit results regarding the appeal letter from the Gyeongbuk Sports Council women's curling team, 'Team Kim'.
The federation held the 3rd Sports Fairness Committee meeting on the 25th and, based on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's special audit results initiated by Team Kim's appeal letter, permanently expelled the former coach of Team Kim, Kim Kyung-du, and his family, who were subject to disciplinary charges.
The federation's Fairness Committee explained that in February last year, there was a disciplinary request following the Ministry's special audit results, and in April of the same year, the accused requested a retrial, but the Ministry dismissed and rejected the request at the end of June.
The federation stated that it fully acknowledges the allegations against former federation vice president Kim Kyung-du and his eldest daughter and son-in-law regarding accounting fraud, embezzlement, breach of trust, abuse of authority, organizational privatization, and hiring irregularities.
Team Kim won a silver medal at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and gained national affection, but in November of that year, they revealed human rights violations and abuse of power by their coach, the Kim Kyung-du family, causing a social uproar.
The federation added, "In response to national and contemporary demands, we are determined to break the chronic problematic cycle in the curling community that leads to faction formation, dysfunction, and hinders unity by permanently blocking all involvement and negative influence of the Kim Kyung-du family in curling."
Meanwhile, the federation's Fairness Committee decided on a 5-year suspension for Min, former chairman of the federation's Performance Improvement Committee, who aided Kim Kyung-du's wife and son?who were not registered as coaches in the sports information system?to participate as coaches in the 2015 Winter Universiade.
The Fairness Committee also disciplined coaches and players in August for allowing only one team to participate without a selection process as representatives of the Gyeongbuk Sports Council mixed doubles team at the 2020 National Winter Sports Festival. Furthermore, former Gyeongbuk Curling Association president Oh was given a 3-year suspension for dereliction of duty.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
