"No Bullying Driving" Court Ruling, Noh Seon-yeong Appeals

The women's team pursuit national team (Noh Seon-yeong, Kim Bo-reum, Park Ji-woo), which has been involved in a teamwork controversy, is packing their belongings before leaving the venue after the ranking race at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics held at the Gangneung Speed Skating Oval in Gangneung, Gangwon Province. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Former national speed skating representative Noh Seon-yeong has appealed against the first trial court ruling that denied the so-called 'bullying race' during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and recognized that she verbally abused and cursed Kim Bo-reum.

According to the legal community on the 20th, Noh Seon-yeong's side filed an appeal on the 17th to the 36th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, which handled the first trial of the damages lawsuit filed by Kim Bo-reum against her. Earlier, the court ruled that Noh Seon-yeong verbally abused and cursed her junior Kim Bo-reum for skating lap times too fast between November and December 2017, ordering her to pay 3 million won.

The court judged that the bullying race claimed by Noh Seon-yeong was not true. However, it did not accept Kim Bo-reum's claim that she suffered damages due to Noh Seon-yeong's false interview. With this appeal, the four-year-long dispute between the two sides over the truth is expected to continue in the higher court.

Kim Bo-reum participated in the women's team pursuit quarterfinals at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics along with Noh Seon-yeong and Park Ji-woo, and became embroiled in the 'bullying race controversy.' In the race, Kim Bo-reum and Park Ji-woo crossed the finish line first, while Noh Seon-yeong came in far behind, leading to criticism that Kim Bo-reum did not look after the last skater Noh Seon-yeong, along with controversy over her interview attitude.