South
Korea to launch its biggest investigation of sex abuse in sports
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[January 22, 2019]
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea
will hold its largest ever investigation into sexual abuse in
sports, its human rights watchdog said on Tuesday, after an Olympic
speed skating star accused her former coach of abuse triggered a
wave of similar accounts from athletes.
The inquiry will aim to address "systematic, sustained" abuse in
sports, which had been hushed up for generations by victims afraid
of being banished from their sport, said Choi Young-ae, chairwoman
of the National Human Rights Commission.
"We will conduct a fact-finding inquiry that will be the largest in
scale ever," Choi told a news conference.
A commission official said up to about 30,000 people - athletes from
all sports, coaches, officials and others - are likely to be
interviewed over the course of the year-long investigation.
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The #MeToo movement has taken off belatedly in male-dominated South
Korea where discussion of sexual misconduct has long been taboo.
But the issue exploded in the world of sports after Shim Suk-hee,
21, accused her former coach, Cho Jae-beom, of sexual assault.
Cho, a former national short track speed skating coach, had already
been convicted of assaulting the two-time Olympic champion -
punching and kicking her during training - and jailed for 10 months
in September.
In December, Shim made accusations of sexual abuse against him. Cho
denied the accusation of sexual abuse, media cited his lawyer as
saying.
Since then, more athletes from various sports, including judo and
archery, have come forward with accounts of assault and sexual
abuse, media has reported.
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Shim Suk-hee of South Korea in action. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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Choi said for too long victims had not spoken out because of a
"results-centered culture focused on medals".
An "independent, constant, national surveillance system" would be
established to gather data, conducts inquiries, and educate
officials on human rights, she said.
Investigators would look into cases without the requirement of an
initial accusation, and would take measures including protection for
victims and refer cases quickly to police and prosecutors, a
spokeswoman for the commission said.
President Moon Jae-in said last week the spate of accounts of abuse
was a shameful tarnish on South Korea's "bright image as a sports
powerhouse", and called for a thorough investigation and strict
punishments.
The commission, noting that it had carried out an investigation into
abuse of student athletes in 2008, said it would work to end a
"nothing changes" culture.
(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Robert Birsel)
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