[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] The police have cleared short track national team member Shim Seok-hee (25) of charges related to allegations of illegally eavesdropping on fellow athletes.
According to the police on the 6th, the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station decided not to prosecute Shim, who was accused on the 1st of violating the Communications Privacy Protection Act, due to insufficient evidence. However, the police stated that they could not confirm whether Shim was directly summoned for questioning.
Shim became embroiled in controversy when messages containing abusive language toward a fellow athlete and evidence of illegal eavesdropping during the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics were revealed. In the messages, Shim said, "I am in the locker room trying to hear what Choi Min-jung is saying to the coach. I need to record it," raising suspicions of violating the Communications Privacy Protection Act.
Subsequently, Shim was reported in connection with the illegal eavesdropping allegations. The report was submitted through the National Assembly’s National Petition system and was assigned from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to the Seoul Namdaemun Police Station in October last year.
In December last year, Shim received a two-month suspension from the Korea Skating Union. However, since the suspension period has ended, she is scheduled to participate in the International Skating Union (ISU) World Championships starting on the 8th. To participate in the ISU World Championships, Shim departed for Canada on the 3rd.
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