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| Shim Suk-hee / Korea Times file |
By Ko Dong-hwan
Following claims earlier this week that national ice-skater Lee Seung-hoon physically harassed younger teammates, a government investigation has revealed that skating star Shim Suk-hee's coach consistently harassed her, deepening further the issue of physical abuse inside Korean ice-skating circles.
A joint investigation by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee found that Shim, 21, was consistently physically abused by her coach Cho Jae-beom. The investigation, which targeted the Korea Skating Union, found that Cho punched and kicked her repeatedly when they were in isolated areas earlier this year.
Cho's violence toward Shim continued at the athletes' village in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, until a day before Jan. 16, when South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited there to encourage the athletes ahead of the Winter Olympics in February.
Frustrated, Shim secretly left the village and did not attend the presidential event. Coaches and officials at the village then covered her absence by falsely reporting to the Olympic committee that she was fatigued and had gone to hospital.
One of five short-track skaters who won gold in the 3,000m relay at PyeongChang Olympics, Shim had built her professional career with wins in ISU international competitions and at the 2012 Olympics.
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| Lee Seung-hoon shows off his gold medal he won at men's mass start at Gangneung Oval in PyeongChang Winter Olympics, Feb. 24. / Korea Times file |
Her treatment has added to problems within the national skating union following the probe into the organization, with Lee Seung-hoon, Korea's most prominent male skating star, accused of repeatedly physically abusing younger teammates.
The skater, 30, allegedly struck two younger teammates during overseas competitions in 2011, 2013 and 2016.
According to one source, Lee, who won gold at the PyeongChang Olympics and at the Vancouver Olympics in 2010, said he was just playing around and had only hit his teammates lightly. But his teammates believe they were assaulted with malicious intent.
Korean skating has been riddled with contentious problems for a long time. The skating union was condemned for particularly supporting athletes from a certain school, while certain athletes allegedly bullied another teammate.
