[Seocho-dong Legal Talk] The Unending 'Shackle' of Match-Fixing... "Courts and Prosecutors Must Also Change"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Former Samsung Lions professional baseball star Yoon Sung-hwan recently received an annual salary ranging from 800 million to 1 billion KRW. He pitched with a minimum base salary of 400 million KRW.

He led Samsung to four consecutive regular season and Korean Series championships (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and achieved a total of 135 wins in his professional career. This is the highest number in Samsung's team history and the eighth highest in professional baseball history. He established himself as a prominent star with nothing to envy.

However, he was prosecuted on charges of match-fixing and was sentenced to prison in the first trial. On the 14th, Judge Lee Sung-wook of the Daegu District Court Criminal Division 11 sentenced Yoon Sung-hwan to one year in prison and imposed a fine of 203.5 million KRW.

It is somewhat surprising that Yoon Sung-hwan accepted 500 million KRW, about half of his salary, to fix matches. The idea of giving up a walk in the first inning and conceding a certain number of runs before the fourth inning in exchange for half his annual salary might have tempted him. However, it is deeply regrettable that he chose 500 million KRW over demonstrating his skills, gaining recognition, and earning more money legitimately.

This also reveals how the temptation of the moment makes it difficult to break the cycle of sports match-fixing. Our professional sports once suffered from a series of match-fixing scandals. All four major professional sports?baseball, soccer, basketball, and volleyball?were affected. While most incidents were caused by wrong choices of players and coaches, some in the legal community argue that the prosecution and courts also bear some responsibility. They claim that investigations into previous cases were insufficient or punishments too lenient to eradicate the roots of match-fixing properly.

In March 2013, former basketball coach Kang Dong-hee's match-fixing scandal shook the basketball world. This case is often mentioned whenever new match-fixing incidents arise. Kang admitted to match-fixing during the prosecution's investigation, and the case was settled. He did not appeal, so his 10-month prison sentence from the first trial was finalized and fully served.

However, at the time Kang was indicted, the prosecution's investigation was questionable. It was vague and superficial. Even now, in the sports and legal communities, there are rumors that Kang's admission was fortunate, and the prosecution might have conducted a fabricated investigation.

The controversial game took place on February 26, 2011, at the Seoul Jamsil Student Gymnasium between Wonju Dongbu and Seoul SK. Kang was the head coach of Dongbu. The prosecution announced that Kang received 7 million KRW and deliberately fielded many substitute players in the first quarter to manipulate the game, but whether it was intentional manipulation is debatable.

At that time, Dongbu was preparing for the playoffs and needed to manage the stamina of their main players. Kang had planned to give starting opportunities to non-regular players even before receiving the money and acted accordingly. In sports, it is common to strategically change player lineups for upcoming games. In the first quarter, Dongbu, objectively the stronger team, led SK 20-15. If substitute players were fielded to fix the match, the usual goal would be to let the opponent take the lead and chase, but this game showed the opposite. Receiving 7 million KRW was clearly wrong, but whether actual match-fixing occurred is questionable. Many doubts were raised at the time. An explanation was needed on how the game was manipulated, what benefits were gained beyond money, and the true purpose, but the prosecution failed to provide this when indicting Kang.

In the case of former KCC coach Jeon Chang-jin, who was acquitted after being accused of illegal gambling and match-fixing and returned to the court, the judgment included ambiguous expressions. The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Appeal Division 8-1 (Chief Judge Lee Geun-soo) acquitted Jeon in June 2019 due to "lack of evidence" in the retrial.

The court found no clear evidence that Jeon bet hundreds of thousands of KRW and played so-called "baduk gambling" with acquaintances. However, it noted his visits to offices where acquaintances held gambling sessions, stating there was a "strong suspicion" he participated in gambling. There was strong suspicion but no concrete evidence. Because of this, some legal professionals described the verdict as "an unsatisfactory ruling."

Jeon Chang-jin, head coach of Anyang KGC (center)
Photo by Kim Hyun-min

The sports community is developing self-sustaining capabilities, such as providing preventive education to athletes. Correspondingly, the prosecution and courts have a clear task to approach match-fixing cases with accurate understanding and professional competence.

At the recent Tokyo Olympics, rising stars shone brightly. So-called "Generation Z" teenage stars appeared in large numbers, touching the hearts of the public. This was based on fair and clean competition. They were recognized for their skills and competed fairly, proudly wearing the Taegeuk mark and dominating the world stage. If the roots of match-fixing are not eradicated, the competitiveness of our sports will inevitably weaken.

Once, I interviewed singer Park Jae-jung, who gained attention as a member of the TV entertainment group "MSG Wannabe." At the time, he was serving as a promotional ambassador for professional soccer. Park is known as an avid soccer fan in the entertainment industry. It was during the Jeonbuk Hyundai match-fixing scandal. Park strongly stated, "Just like Juventus in Italy, Jeonbuk should have their points deducted and be relegated for fairness." His words struck like a dagger. Juventus, the Italian professional soccer club, was stripped of their Serie A titles for the 2005 and 2006 seasons due to a match-fixing scandal in 2006, had 30 points deducted, and was relegated to the second division the following season as a severe punishment.

Park debuted as a singer after competing solely on talent in the public audition show Superstar K. It was natural for him to be outraged by unfair competition. Is he the only one? Fans and citizens who cherish the emotions of sports would all feel the same. This is an undeniable fact that athletes, coaches, and the legal community in all sports must never forget.