(LEAD) Sports ministry finds ex-official exerted undue influence over nat'l skating body

(ATTN: ADDS more information in last 6 paras)

SEOUL, May 23 (Yonhap) -- A former South Korean speed skating official, who mentored multiple gold medalists at the Winter Olympics, abused his power for years to control various issues within the national skating body, the country's sports ministry said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports said Jun Myung-kyu exerted undue influence on key issues in the Korea Skating Union (KSU), even though he had no official position at the national skating body.

The ministry conducted a monthlong joint audit with the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) from March after a series of controversies and corruption allegations were raised against Jun and the KSU following the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games.

"Allegations that one specific person had undue influence over the skating community and took part in KSU decisions without authority turned out to be true," the ministry said.

Jun is considered the "godfather" of the South Korean speed skating community for his achievements. He previously served as the national team short track speed skating head coach and fostered such Olympic champions as Ahn Hyun-soo (now Viktor Ahn), Kim Dong-sung and Chun Lee-kyung.

The 55-year-old later became a KSU vice president. His first stint was from 2009 to 2014, but in March 2014, he quit while facing allegations of encouraging factional feuds within the national short track team.

Jun returned to the post in February 2017, a year before the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, but stepped down from his position in April after the ministry began its audit.

According to the ministry's audit, Jun exercised undue influence to punish the speed skating national team coach for the 2013 Winter Universiade while he was serving as a KSU Vice President. Using his private network, Jun ordered his acquaintances to write requests to penalize the coach and submit them to the KSU.

The ministry said Jun abused his power even after quitting the vice presidency to push the union to terminate its contract with a Dutch coach and hire a Canadian.

The ministry said Jun was involved in a controversy in which some national speed skaters were accused of receiving undue favors, being allowed to train separately at Korea National Sports University in Seoul ahead of the PyeongChang Olympics.

"We understand the need for separate training, but that was allowed to only certain skaters in a selective way," the ministry said. "The management and care of other athletes was poor. Jun was involved in this separate training scheme and inappropriate method of coaching."

The ministry said that even if Jun currently holds no position at the KSU, the skating body should punish him.

The ministry said it also found multiple wrongdoings within the KSU, including the operation of an executive board. The KSOC ruled in 2016 that no sports body should have an executive board system because it can be used as a means to privatization, but the ministry's audit found that the KSU has maintained the system, helping Jun to abuse his power.

The ministry said it also found evidence of inappropriate hiring of national team coaching staff and selection of national team athletes, as well as suspicious processes in choosing national sponsors and a team uniform provider.

The ministry said KSU decided to pick skaters who were willing to take a pacemaker role for the national team in order to increase medal winning chances at the PyeongChang Olympics, but that was a violation of its national team selection rule that requires the approval of its board and competitiveness improvement committee.

For the 2018 International Skating Union (ISU) World Junior Short Track Speed Skating Championships, the KSU announce it will take eight skaters to the competition -- four skaters each for the men's and the women's side -- but it later decided to add two more skaters to the national team, which also violated its rule.

The ministry said the KSU also hired three coaches who didn't meet requirements in 2016. The KSU states that those who have five years of coaching experience are eligible to apply for national team coaching jobs, but three instructors from one university were selected to guide national team players and even received contract extensions later.

For the selection of the national team uniform sponsor, the ministry found that the KSU's task force team ignored board members' decision to have negotiations with an existing supplier and had a meeting for a certain uniform manufacturer to win the deal. The ministry said it will ask legal authorities to investigate the uniform supplier deal issue.

The ministry said it also found that the KSU poorly handled disciplinary actions against a former coach who assaulted short tracker Shim Suk-hee and an incident involving speed skater Noh Seon-yeong, who earned her Winter Games spot at the last minute due to a KSU administrative error.

The sports ministry said it will ask the KSOC to designate the KSU as an organization that needs special care. If approved, current KSU executives will need to step down from their positions.

kdon@yna.co.kr
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