Sasang District: "Contract Termination Not Yet Under Review"
"Freedom of Expression vs. Disqualification" Debate Erupts
Busan Sasang District Office, the team to which national archery representative Jang Chaehwan belongs, announced that it will decide whether to terminate his contract based on the disciplinary results from the archery association, following controversy over Jang's far-right social media posts alleging manipulation of the 21st presidential election.
According to Yonhap News on the 22nd, Busan Sasang District stated, "We have not yet reviewed the termination of Jang Chaehwan's contract. We will discuss the matter after seeing whether the archery association imposes any disciplinary action. For now, we are simply monitoring the situation." This clarifies that the district office has not considered terminating Jang's contract, contrary to some recent media reports.
Recently, a post was uploaded to the Sasang District's online civil complaint portal arguing that it is problematic for an athlete, who is part of a publicly funded team, to make such statements, and calling for his contract to be terminated. Multiple media outlets subsequently reported that the district office was considering terminating Jang's contract.
Afterward, nearly 20 posts appeared arguing that terminating a contract over political expression is excessive, sparking a debate for and against the move.
Meanwhile, Jang Chaehwan has recently been at the center of controversy for following several far-right accounts on social media and writing "Anti-communism" in the profile section of his Instagram homepage. He also posted several far-right claims on social media before and after the 21st presidential election, including allegations that China manipulated the election results.
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