"Allegation of Sexual Assault by Junior 21 Years Ago"... Ki Sung-yueng "False, Legal Action"

Former national team professional soccer player Ki Sung-yueng. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-ju] After a sexual assault allegation seemingly pointing to former national team professional soccer player Ki Sung-yueng (32) as the perpetrator surfaced, Ki Sung-yueng’s side denied the claims as "groundless" and announced plans for legal action.

On the 24th, Ki Sung-yueng’s agency denied the allegations of sexually assaulting juniors during elementary school and emphasized, "We will take legal action against the damages caused by this defamation."

Earlier that day, lawyer Park Ji-hoon of the law firm Hyun revealed in a written statement, "Mr. C and Mr. D, former soccer players, were sexually assaulted by seniors, Player A and Mr. B, from January to June 2000 while they were part of the soccer club at an elementary school in Jeonnam."

According to lawyer Park, the perpetrator Player A is a star player who recently joined a prestigious metropolitan area club and is a former national team member, while Mr. B, who had a brief professional career, currently works as an adjunct professor at a university in Gwangju.

Park explained, "Player A and Mr. B, who were one grade senior, sexually assaulted Mr. C and Mr. D, who were fifth graders at the time, at the soccer club dormitory."

He added, "The reason Mr. C and Mr. D were chosen as 'prey' by the perpetrators was because they were small in stature, gentle in personality, and introverted at the time," and "the victims still vividly remember the incident and suffer from it even after more than 20 years."

He also stated, "Mr. C played as a professional soccer player for about eight years before retiring a few years ago, and Mr. D left Korea after the incident but recently returned and is now working as an agent," adding that Mr. C and Mr. D want a sincere apology from the perpetrators.

However, since the victims were minors at the time and the statute of limitations for both criminal prosecution and civil damages has passed, it is difficult to hold Player A and Mr. B legally responsible in civil or criminal court.

Lawyer Park said, "Although it is difficult to resolve this through litigation, the claims by Mr. C and Mr. D are very detailed, specifying even dates, so they decided to make the case public."

Player A mentioned in the statement has been narrowed down to Ki Sung-yueng.

In response, Ki Sung-yueng’s agency stated, "After verification, we confirmed that the person claiming to be the victim has no relation to the reported content," and added, "We will not hesitate to take legal action against damages caused by this defamation and any potential future damages."

FC Seoul, Ki Sung-yueng’s team, also said, "The player denies the allegations as groundless. However, we are verifying the facts from multiple angles."