Son's Middle School Team Coach Verbally Abused in Protest
Hyun Joo-yeop "Difficult to Respond During Tournament... Will Clarify Position Soon"
Hyun Joo-yeop, a former star basketball player and current head coach (full-time coach) of the basketball team at Seoul Whimoon High School, is under investigation by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education following a complaint. A recording has been released in which he is heard using abusive language while making a phone call to the coach of the middle school basketball team where his son plays, exerting undue pressure.
On the 15th, SBS reported receiving a tip that Coach Hyun exerted undue pressure on the coach of the Whimoon Middle School basketball team, where his sons are members. It was alleged that Hyun complained to the coach, saying that it seemed only his son was assigned to keep the scoreboard, a task rotated among the team members. During the complaint, he also used abusive language.
Coach Hyun Joo-yeop Photo by KBL
The recording released by SBS is a phone conversation between Coach Hyun and the Whimoon Middle School coach from September last year. Coach Hyun asked, "Why did it change after you came?" to which the coach replied, "Last time, your father called and said it seemed like only OO (Hyun Joo-yeop’s son) was keeping the scoreboard." Then Coach Hyun raised his voice, saying, "Hey, am I your father, you XX? I called as your senior."
The Whimoon Middle School basketball team coach also claims that the school foundation pressured them to enroll Hyun’s two children in the basketball team. In response, Hyun’s side stated, "Coach Hyun is currently participating in a tournament, so the response has been delayed," and added, "We plan to clarify the allegations that are different from the facts soon."
Meanwhile, anonymous individuals related to the Whimoon Middle and High School basketball teams, parents, and Whimoon High School foundation officials submitted a petition against Coach Hyun to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 13th. The petition reportedly includes allegations against Coach Hyun such as ▲mismanagement of the high school basketball team ▲conflicts of interest ▲abuse of power, student discrimination, bullying, verbal abuse ▲improprieties in the hiring process.
The complainants also claim that Coach Hyun neglected his primary coaching duties of training and practice due to his involvement in broadcasting and YouTube filming. Coach Hyun currently runs a YouTube channel called 'Meokboss Jjuyopi' with 760,000 subscribers and appears on the E Channel variety show 'Saturday is Good for Food.' He once missed a practice game between Whimoon High School and another Seoul high school on January 11, citing filming as the reason.
There are also claims that Coach Hyun appointed a high school senior as an assistant coach for the basketball team, but that coach was previously disqualified after failing the Whimoon High School basketball team interview. Additionally, there are criticisms that Hyun’s children received preferential treatment related to training. Although the high school coach has no authority over middle school training, he allegedly tried to interfere in the middle school coaches’ duties by abusing his authority.
On the 14th, a Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education official said, "A complaint with these details was received on the 27th of last month through the Public Interest Whistleblower Center of the Audit Office." The official added, "We have requested Whimoon High School to verify the facts, and the school is conducting an internal investigation, but the results have not yet been released." They further stated, "We have asked for a response by the end of this week, and once the response is received, we will consider whether to conduct a special inspection (on-site investigation)."
Meanwhile, Whimoon High School, coached by Hyun, lost 59-71 to Gyesung High School in the quarterfinals of the 61st Spring National Middle and High School Basketball Federation Tournament held in Haenam, Jeollanam-do on the 14th.
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