KOC to Seek Charges Against Coach
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
The Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) is taking a firm stance against a violent incident involving a coach and player on the national volleyball team.
The KOC held a meeting Monday and reached a decision to seek a criminal charge against national team assistant coach Lee Sang-yeol, who assaulted Park Chul-woo at the Korea National Training Center in Taeneung, northeast of Seoul.
"It is unforgiveable that this disgraceful thing happened at the training center, where national players train,'' said Choi Jong-jun, the KOC secretary general.
"Through this scandal, KOC President Park Yong-sung wants to root out the beating of players."
It is the first time the sports governing body has pressed charges against a coach or an athlete because of violence.
KOC head Park said Saturday that the organization would seek prosecution for any athlete, coach or official involved in a violent incident.
The 69-year-old also stressed the importance of preventing this type of incident from happening in the future.
Lee, 44, reportedly struck Park, 24, in the face and in the abdomen for no apparent reason after team practice Thursday. The player held a press conference the next day and showed his cuts and bruises along with a medical certificate saying it would take him three weeks to heal from the injuries.
Lee, a former star player who helped South Korea win gold at the 2006 Doha Asian Games as a coach, said later that he had caught Park showing signs of disobedience toward him and acted impulsively.
As a result, the Korea Volleyball Association (KVA) suspended the coach indefinitely Saturday, but this was not enough to comfort Park's father.
After the ruling, the father requested that the KVA ban Lee from his coaching job and asked the KOC to press charges Sunday.
The KOC also advised the KVA to fire national team coach Kim Ho-chul for negligence in managing the team, and the volleyball association accepted the recommendation later in the day, replacing Kim with interim coach Cha Sang-hyun.
After Park's press conference, the 53-year-old Kim, who also coaches Park at the Hyundai SkyWalkers, announced his resignation. However, the KVA did not immediately accept his resignation, due to the upcoming Asian Volleyball Championship, scheduled to start on Oct. 26 in the Philippines.
Park has not re-joined the team, which was kicked out of the Korea National Training Center on Saturday because of the incident. The team now trains in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.