[2025 Audit] Seventy-Two Sports Disciplinary Cases Neglected for Three Years... Victims Suffer Secondary Harm

Park Suhyeon: "Fifteen Cases Involve School Assault and Sexual Violence"
Ministry Urged to Consider Restricting Financial Support

Yonhap News Agency

It has been revealed that seventy-two cases of human rights violations and corruption in the sports community have exceeded their processing deadlines without disciplinary action being taken. There are concerns that victims are suffering secondary harm due to prolonged delays.

According to data released by Assemblyman Park Suhyeon on October 27, the Sports Ethics Center has forwarded 506 disciplinary requests to various sports organizations since its establishment in 2020. Excluding forty cases that are still within the deadline, seventy-two cases remain unresolved.

The Sports Ethics Center is an institution that investigates human rights violations and corruption in the sports sector. If there is suspicion of a crime, it refers the case to investigative authorities and requests disciplinary measures from sports organizations. However, since the authority to impose discipline rests with each organization, many requests do not result in actual action.

The oldest unresolved case was filed in 2022. Disciplinary measures have not been taken for three years. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has urged disciplinary action four times, but to no avail.

Fifteen unresolved cases occurred within schools. These include serious issues such as assault by coaches, bribery, and sexual violence. In particular, when minors are victims, psychological and physical aftereffects can be prolonged, making prompt action necessary.

The amendment to the National Sports Promotion Act, which took effect in August, allows the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to restrict financial support for up to two years if a sports organization fails to comply with a disciplinary request. However, there have been no actual cases of enforcement so far.

Assemblyman Park emphasized, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee must strengthen their monitoring systems for provincial sports councils and sports federations to ensure cases are resolved within the deadline." He added, "If favoritism or disregard for disciplinary action continues, strong measures such as restricting financial support should be considered."