▲ Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Yoo Seung-min speaks at the launch ceremony of the K-Football Innovation Committee held at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 6th.
Civic groups in the sports community have denounced the police for their decision not to refer the breach of trust case involving Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) President Yoo Seung-min to the prosecution.
In response, the KSOC expressed its regret and warned of legal action.
On the morning of July 14, the Sports Civic Solidarity and the Culture Solidarity held a press conference in front of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in Seocho-gu, Seoul. They criticized the police's decision regarding President Yoo, stating, "We cannot help but ask what kind of organization the police actually are at this point."
They added, "The political circles, which are debating the authority for supplementary investigations, must provide an answer regarding the police's investigation results, which effectively granted immunity to the sports cartel," and urged, "We strongly call for a reinvestigation by the prosecution to ensure a world where innocent citizens are protected."
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crime Investigation Division recently decided not to refer the case against President Yoo and others for professional breach of trust, citing insufficient evidence.
The complainants, Sports Civic Solidarity, had alleged that during his tenure as president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, Yoo implemented an incentive system to pay a portion of sponsorship funds to those who attracted them. They claimed that these payments were made based on invalid regulations, causing financial loss to the association.
They also raised allegations that Yoo and others influenced the selection process for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics national team, allowing athletes other than those recommended by the Performance Enhancement Committee to be selected.
The police determined that the breach of trust charges were not established because Yoo and the others did not have the decision-making authority regarding the incentive payments, and they viewed the athlete selection as a legitimate exercise of Yoo's authority.
However, the civic groups argued, "President Yoo was the head of the (Table Tennis) Association who established the incentive regulations himself and was the final approver of the association's budget," adding, "This is an internal contradiction, and there is room to classify it as professional embezzlement."
Regarding the athlete selection controversy, they criticized, "The police say it was a legitimate exercise of authority, but everyone knows. (National football team coaches) Klinsmann and Hong Myung-bo were selected in the same way," adding, "If this continues, it is obvious that rigged selections will run rampant."
In response, the KSOC issued a statement expressing its regret.
The KSOC stated, "The behavior of the Sports Civic Solidarity and the Culture Solidarity clearly exceeds the scope of legitimate criticism," and pointed out, "It is considered to be malicious slander and the spread of false information, suspected of having impure motives to divide the sports community and cause social chaos."
They further criticized, "The Sports Civic Solidarity and the Culture Solidarity have denounced the entire investigative agency without objective grounds and fostered distrust in state public power. This is a very dangerous behavior that shakes the foundation of the rule of law."
The KSOC added, "We are carefully collecting and reviewing materials related to the spread of false information and defamation by the Sports Civic Solidarity and the Culture Solidarity, and we will pursue all legal measures, including criminal complaints and civil lawsuits for damages."
(Photo: Provided by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Yonhap News)
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