Figure Skater Lee Hae-in: "Unfairly Stigmatized for Minor Sexual Assault... Sorry, I Shouldn't Have Dated"

'3-Year License Suspension' Rehearing Attendance
"I Want to Prove I'm Not a Sexual Offender, Leaving Figure Skating Behind"
Claims Romantic Relationship with Junior A

Figure skater Lee Hae-in attending the Sports Fairness Committee rehearing. Photo by Yonhap News

Former national figure skater Lee Hae-in, who received a three-year suspension for sexual harassment allegations, expressed her feelings of injustice.

On the 29th, Lee Hae-in appeared at the Korea Sports Council's Sports Fairness Committee reconsideration held at the Olympic Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, and spoke to the press, according to Yonhap News. According to Yonhap News, Lee said, "I have been branded as a sexual offender against a minor," adding, "More than a figure skater, I just want to clarify that as a person, as a woman, I am not a sexual offender." She continued, "I am truly sorry for drinking alcohol and dating during the national team’s training camp, which was not allowed," and bowed her head, saying, "It was a serious mistake that should never have happened, and I am reflecting on it. I will regret my wrongdoing for the rest of my life."

Earlier, during the national figure skating training camp held in Varese, Italy, in May, Lee was found to have consumed alcohol in the dormitory. Subsequently, during the investigation by the Korea Skating Union, it was revealed that she had engaged in sexual acts with a junior male athlete, A. The union conducted an internal investigation and imposed a severe penalty of a three-year suspension on Lee, while A, who is a minor, was reprimanded for violating the intensified training regulations by visiting the dormitory of an opposite-sex athlete.

Later, on June 27, Lee posted on her social media, stating, "It is not true that I sexually harassed or sexually assaulted A," explaining, "He was my boyfriend when I was a high school student last year, but we broke up due to our parents' opposition and met again during this training camp." She expressed her grievance, saying, "I thought it was playful or affectionate behavior between lovers, and I never imagined it would lead to such misunderstandings." Additionally, in an interview with a media outlet earlier this month, she refuted the allegations by presenting evidence, claiming that A gave false statements and that she is not a sexual offender.