National judo coaching staff members who sparked controversy over athlete management issues during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games have been referred to the Sports Fair Committee.

Following a meeting of the Performance Improvement Committee held today (October 16) at Namnyung High School in Jeju City—where the National Sports Festival is taking place—the Korea Judo Association announced, "We have decided to propose an additional investigation and measures by the Sports Fair Committee regarding allegations that Jeong Su-jin (Yongin University) failed the weigh-in and was subjected to attempts to cover it up, as well as the delayed boarding of flights for the World Championships."

The association added, "Since Jeong Su-jin, who was unable to compete due to the weigh-in issue, was disqualified due to the coaching staff's negligence rather than her own fault, we decided to seek relief from her six-month international competition ban." It also stated, "We have decided to arrange athlete protection and psychological counseling support through the Korea Institute of Science in Sport."

In addition, the Korea Judo Association decided to terminate the contracts of Head Coach Jeong Sung-sook, men's national team coach Hwang Hee-tae, and women's national team coach Miki Tanaka as of October 31.

Contracts for men's team coaches Cho Gu-ham and Shim Ji-ho, as well as women's team coach Kwon Young-woo, were extended until December 31, taking into consideration the remaining international competition schedule for this year.

The Korea Judo Association stated, "To minimize any coaching vacancies, we will hold an open recruitment process starting November 2, and the new coaching staff will lead the national team starting January 2027."

The national judo team drew controversy after revealing vulnerabilities in athlete management during the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

At the time, the coaching staff, including Head Coach Jeong Sung-sook, failed to realize that Jeong Su-jin, who was scheduled to compete in the women's 48kg division, had been selected for a random weigh-in on the day of the match, leading her to consume food and resulting in her disqualification.

The national team also exposed athlete management issues during their recent trip to Azerbaijan for the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships.

Some athletes suffered unnecessary inconvenience—such as waiting at the airport for hours after failing to board their connecting flight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates—which disrupted their physical condition management.

(Photo: Yonhap News)