Over 200 people with criminal records worked as sports coaches from 2020-2024: audit

▲ The Board of Audit and Inspection (Yonhap)

sports body-audit

Over 200 people with criminal records worked as sports coaches from 2020-2024: audit

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, March 4 (Yonhap) -- More than 200 people with criminal records worked as sports coaches from 2020-2024 amid lax vetting by the top national sports body, the state auditor said Wednesday.

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) was asked by the culture ministry in 2020 to allow only licensed coaches to work in the field, as those with licenses are regularly subject to criminal record checks, according to the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), which released the findings of its audit of operations and management at the KSOC.

The sports body, however, delayed the adoption of the new requirement until the end of this year, citing the time needed for coaches to obtain licenses.

As a result, 222 people whose licenses had been revoked over crimes, including assault and sexual violence, worked as coaches between August 2020 and December 2024, the BAI said.

The agency also found irregularities in the selection process for national team coaches.

From 2022-2024, 70 KSOC officials responsible for designing criteria and assessing candidates for national team coaches were found to have applied for and gotten the jobs themselves.

In the same period, 24 complaints were filed with the respective heads of each sport regarding the selection process for national team players, but all were dismissed, including 13 that were not even reported to the KSOC, as required under relevant rules.

Moreover, former KSOC chief Lee Kee-heung formed key decision-making bodies arbitrarily in violation of the articles of association, according to the BAI.

Lee also created a financial burden for the KSOC by revising budget rules to escape the culture ministry's oversight and increasing budget allocation for various events.

The KSOC has been ordered to take measures against ineligible coaches and improve fairness in the selection of national team players, while the culture ministry has been told to properly oversee the sports body, the BAI said.

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