We Condemn the Sangju Middle School Ssireum Coach Who Hit a Student Athlete with a Shovel!
- The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must hold the school and the Office of Education accountable for condoning and tolerating violence and establish a safe school sports environment and system. -
Another incident of human rights violations by a school sports coach has occurred. Last June, a wrestling coach at a Sangju middle school struck athlete A's head with a shovel blade, causing a skin tear. The incident, which was covered up for two months, has only just come to light. The incident came to light when A, who had been subjected to persistent violence, attempted to take his own life, only to be dramatically discovered by his father and rescued.
The school denied any knowledge of the assault or the hospitalization. The parents reported the incident to the Wee Center under the Office of Education, but received no assistance. The Office of Education also reportedly treated the incident as minor and took no action.
According to reports, an acquaintance of the offending coach commented on the victimized student athlete, saying, "He was talented, but his training attitude was flawed." This not only evades responsibility and shifts blame to the victim of human rights abuse, but also constitutes secondary victimization. It's incomprehensible for a school sports coach to use violence against student athletes while questioning their attitudes. Rather, it reveals the coach's lack of competence. It's particularly shocking that schools and education offices continue to dismiss incidents of violence in school sports clubs as minor, neglecting and condoning the situation.
The taekwondo coach who assaulted and sexually assaulted a student athlete in the dormitory during a tournament last March also questioned the victim's attitude. He also questioned the victim's attitude in the child abuse incident at Son Soccer Academy last year. Furthermore, the school's delayed response to the taekwondo coach's assault on a student athlete in March was a case in point. In this case, the abusive coach lied to the victim's parents about the incident, and the school and the Board of Education neglected and condoned it for two months. The victim suffered from the violence, ultimately leading to an attempted suicide. The death of Choi Sook-hyun in 2020 sent shockwaves through the sports world, but the sports community, unreflective and unwavering, continues to produce victims.
School sports teams, unsafe from the risk of violence and other human rights violations, are inevitably shunned by students, parents, and schools alike. In particular, the school and Board of Education's response to such incidents further exacerbates this danger. This undermines the trustworthiness of the system that is supposed to protect student athletes. Therefore, the recent incident of violence involving a wrestling coach at a middle school in Sangju City requires not only the punishment of the abusive coach, but also the school and Board of Education, who neglected and condoned the incident, to be held accountable.
Student athletes with athletic talent and dreams should not be injured or killed while pursuing their dreams. Safe school sports teams exist within a safe and reliable system, fostering diverse student athletes. The state has the responsibility and obligation to establish an environment and system where student athletes can receive safe education. This is why the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education must proactively and sincerely address this issue.
August 12, 2025
Sports Human Rights Institute, Culture Action, Civic Network for Justice in Sport
We Condemn the Sangju Middle School Ssireum Coach Who Hit a Student Athlete with a Shovel!
- The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism must hold the school and the Office of Education accountable for condoning and tolerating violence and establish a safe school sports environment and system. -
Another incident of human rights violations by a school sports coach has occurred. Last June, a wrestling coach at a Sangju middle school struck athlete A's head with a shovel blade, causing a skin tear. The incident, which was covered up for two months, has only just come to light. The incident came to light when A, who had been subjected to persistent violence, attempted to take his own life, only to be dramatically discovered by his father and rescued.
The school denied any knowledge of the assault or the hospitalization. The parents reported the incident to the Wee Center under the Office of Education, but received no assistance. The Office of Education also reportedly treated the incident as minor and took no action.
According to reports, an acquaintance of the offending coach commented on the victimized student athlete, saying, "He was talented, but his training attitude was flawed." This not only evades responsibility and shifts blame to the victim of human rights abuse, but also constitutes secondary victimization. It's incomprehensible for a school sports coach to use violence against student athletes while questioning their attitudes. Rather, it reveals the coach's lack of competence. It's particularly shocking that schools and education offices continue to dismiss incidents of violence in school sports clubs as minor, neglecting and condoning the situation.
The taekwondo coach who assaulted and sexually assaulted a student athlete in the dormitory during a tournament last March also questioned the victim's attitude. He also questioned the victim's attitude in the child abuse incident at Son Soccer Academy last year. Furthermore, the school's delayed response to the taekwondo coach's assault on a student athlete in March was a case in point. In this case, the abusive coach lied to the victim's parents about the incident, and the school and the Board of Education neglected and condoned it for two months. The victim suffered from the violence, ultimately leading to an attempted suicide. The death of Choi Sook-hyun in 2020 sent shockwaves through the sports world, but the sports community, unreflective and unwavering, continues to produce victims.
School sports teams, unsafe from the risk of violence and other human rights violations, are inevitably shunned by students, parents, and schools alike. In particular, the school and Board of Education's response to such incidents further exacerbates this danger. This undermines the trustworthiness of the system that is supposed to protect student athletes. Therefore, the recent incident of violence involving a wrestling coach at a middle school in Sangju City requires not only the punishment of the abusive coach, but also the school and Board of Education, who neglected and condoned the incident, to be held accountable.
Student athletes with athletic talent and dreams should not be injured or killed while pursuing their dreams. Safe school sports teams exist within a safe and reliable system, fostering diverse student athletes. The state has the responsibility and obligation to establish an environment and system where student athletes can receive safe education. This is why the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Ministry of Education must proactively and sincerely address this issue.
August 12, 2025
Sports Human Rights Institute, Culture Action, Civic Network for Justice in Sport