"Chairman Kim Taekgyu's Great Harm"... Badminton Association Directors Turn Away, Demand Resignation

14 Directors of Badminton Association Announced
Chairman Kim Taekgyu Scheduled to Appear at National Assembly on 24th

Following the resolute remarks made by An Se-young, who won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, internal voices demanding the voluntary resignation of Kim Taek-gyu, president of the Korea Badminton Association, are continuing. On the 22nd, 14 directors affiliated with the Badminton Association issued a statement saying, "President Kim, who holds a position of great responsibility, has caused enormous harm not only to the parties involved but also to the association and Korean badminton as a whole due to accumulated mistakes," and added, "We, the board members, collectively demand the simultaneous resignation of President Kim, Executive Director Kim Jong-woong, and Auditor Park Gye-ok."

On August 16th, at the Olympic Hall in Songpa-gu, Seoul, Kim Hak-gyun, the head coach of the national badminton team, along with committee members and association officials, attended the Badminton Korea Association's internal fact-finding committee meeting regarding An Se-young's candid remarks.

The 14 directors stated, "Since the Paris Olympics, the situation of Korean badminton has been deteriorating," and added, "The association's response has not only failed to solve the problems but has poured fuel on the fire, disappointing the public and tarnishing the status of Korean badminton." They also said, "We, the board members, who have stood by until the situation reached this point, deeply feel responsible. We should have looked into and reprimanded individual mistakes to self-purify, but we failed to do so."

The Badminton Association consists of a total of 40 members, including 1 president, 6 vice presidents, 1 executive director, 30 directors, and 2 auditors. Previously, 4 vice presidents of the association also demanded the simultaneous resignation of these three individuals. The 14 directors said, "The vice presidents also issued a statement demanding their simultaneous resignation," and added, "This action reflects an internal reflection on the failure to control the situation until now and is a strong message demanding that the president take responsibility and step down." Furthermore, they said, "We must rebuild the broken trust, reorganize the chaotic association system, and protect the athletes and innocent badminton stakeholders. We earnestly urge everyone to unite and show unified action."

Lee Jung-woo, Director of the Sports Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is giving an interim report on the audit of the Badminton Association and subsidy inspection at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno, Seoul, on the 10th. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had launched an investigation into various allegations surrounding the Korea Badminton Association. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism mentioned the possibility of applying charges of embezzlement and breach of trust regarding President Kim's 'payback' allegations during an interim briefing on the association's investigation on the 10th. A ministry official stated, "President Kim will not be able to avoid responsibility for embezzlement and breach of trust." However, the association strongly opposed these claims. On the 13th, the association distributed a 'statement on the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's investigation results,' saying, "Accusing an individual of embezzlement and breach of trust without clear evidence is a clear defamation, and we will definitely pursue legal responsibility in the future."

They also said, "Rather than reviewing the overall operational status of the association's policies and systems at each institution, they are unilaterally slandering the association and the badminton organization based on fragmented information," and requested, "Please refrain from excessive speculation and criticism about unverified facts." Meanwhile, President Kim is scheduled to appear on the 24th for a current affairs inquiry by the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee. President Kim, Vice President Kim Jung-soo, and Kim Hak-gyun, the national badminton team coach, have been summoned as witnesses and are expected to clarify their positions regarding various controversies surrounding the association.