"'Bullying Junior' Female Volleyball Player Oh Ji-young, One-Year Suspension and Contract Termination... 'Will Request Reconsideration'"

First Disciplinary Action for Harassment Between Senior and Junior Players
O Ji-young's Side: "Will Request Reconsideration... Additional Explanation"

The Korea Volleyball Federation (KOVO) has imposed a one-year suspension on Oh Ji-young (35), the libero of the professional women's volleyball team Pepper Savings Bank, who is accused of bullying junior players. The Pepper Savings Bank team announced that they have decided to terminate their contract with Oh Ji-young following KOVO's decision.

KOVO Disciplinary Committee, Based on Evidence, Suspends Oh Ji-young for One Year: "Eradicating Malpractice" - Team Notifies Contract Termination

On the 28th, KOVO held a second disciplinary committee meeting at the federation's conference room in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, regarding Oh Ji-young's human rights violation acts. The first meeting on the 23rd did not reach a conclusion, but the disciplinary committee finalized the punishment at this meeting. This is the first time KOVO has imposed disciplinary action for bullying between senior and junior players within a team. The KOVO disciplinary committee stated, "It was confirmed that Oh Ji-young bullied juniors starting from June last year, and two junior players left the team," adding, "Through various evidence, we confirmed that there were human rights violations such as bullying and verbal abuse by Oh Ji-young." The one-year suspension imposed on Oh Ji-young was based on Article 10, Clause 1, Paragraph 4 of the Player Human Rights Protection Committee regulations, which states, "In cases of verbal abuse or other minor violent acts, a suspension of eligibility from one month to one year may be imposed," applying the highest level of punishment.

It was reported that Oh Ji-young did not physically assault juniors directly nor conduct formations for disciplinary drills. However, the KOVO disciplinary committee classified Oh Ji-young's remarks during training or on social networking services (SNS) as verbal abuse and considered it a "serious matter." Lee Jang-ho, chairman of the KOVO disciplinary committee, said, "We recognized the workplace bullying and human rights violations committed by Oh Ji-young against juniors and decided to impose a one-year suspension," adding, "Although the claims from both sides differ, considering affidavits from fellow players, we judged it clearly as a human rights violation." The KOVO disciplinary committee explained, "Such acts are serious antisocial behaviors and malpractices that must be eradicated in professional sports," and "To prevent recurrence of similar acts, we set the disciplinary level according to the Player Human Rights Protection Committee regulations."

A representative from Pepper Savings Bank stated, "We confirmed through investigation that bullying occurred within the team, and we fully included Oh Ji-young's explanation in the report submitted to KOVO," adding, "After identifying the human rights violation acts by Oh Ji-young through internal investigation, we immediately excluded her from the team. As of today, we are terminating the contract with Oh Ji-young." Oh Ji-young signed a three-year contract worth 1 billion KRW with Pepper Savings Bank in April 2023. Although one year remains on the contract after the suspension ends, Pepper Savings Bank chose to terminate the contract.

Oh Ji-young's Side: "Conflict Originated from Foreign Coach's Conduct... Will Request Reconsideration with Additional Evidence"

However, the disciplinary committee informed Oh Ji-young that she could request a reconsideration within ten days. Oh Ji-young's side stated, "Our explanation was not sufficiently reflected. We have additional evidence to submit," and "We will request a reconsideration." In particular, Oh Ji-young's legal representative, lawyer Jung Min-hoe, claimed, "Before this case became an issue, Oh Ji-young and A had a trustworthy relationship, more like sisters than senior and junior," adding, "Oh Ji-young even gave A gifts worth about 2 million KRW. This is evidence that Oh Ji-young showed goodwill toward A." He also explained, "Oh Ji-young and B kept their distance, so bullying itself cannot be established."

Lawyer Jung told Yonhap News Agency, "We believe the cause of this incident is not the conflict between the accused and the complainant, but rather the foreign coach (Jo Trinzi) who did not understand the team's emotions or atmosphere and separated starting players from non-starting players," he said. "According to the coach's decision, on days when starting players play, non-starting players wait at the training center or dormitory instead of the stadium," he explained. "There was an incident where a non-starting player left the training center during game time, and senior players asked them not to go out during the game. However, A went out and had a traffic accident. Upon hearing the accident news, senior players including Oh Ji-young questioned the players involved, which led to conflict, and as a result, A and B left the team," he said.

Lawyer Jung added, "Oh Ji-young did not even question B about this issue, and she did reprimand A, with whom she had a trusting relationship, saying, 'I told you this for your own good, so why did you act that way?'"