Court gives `red card` to violent tradition within sports sector

The court took side with a national sports player who was physically and institutionally abused by coach and sports association that he belonged. The court`s decision raised an awareness of the dark side of Korean sports community.

The 14th Civil Case Settlement Division under the Seoul Eastern District Court gave a verdict of 19 million won (16,170 U.S. dollars) in compensation for Gwon, a national luge player, who filed a suit against his coach surnamed Lee and the Korea Luge Federation. The penal judge decreed that the federation would cancel the two-month suspension of Gwon`s qualification. Luge is an ice sports where lugers lie on a sled and slide down the ice track as fast as possible.

While preparing for the Sochi Winter Olympics, Gwon was beaten on his hips and thighs multiple times in November 2012 by his coach with a luge sled blade just because he did not pack his stuff properly. During training for an American competition in February the following year, Gwon had an intracerebral haemorrhage as his luge sled flipped.

In August 2013, Lee beat Gwon with a steel pipe because the player came back to the accommodation late after practicing in the luge practice ground in Pyeongchang. One month later, Lee slapped Gwon`s cheek multiple times and pressed his head against their van causing a concussion, because Gwon went to a PC cafe with his colleagues. During off-season training in Germany in October 2013, he came back to Korea without permission after being bullied.

"What Lee did was unlawful, and the Korea Luge Federation was also part of the violence. Therefore they are obliged to pay for damage: 13.92 million won (11,847 dollars) for Gwon`s treatment fee given that they committed more violence on Gwon`s head even though they already knew Gwon`s injury," said the judge during the trial. "The two-month suspension of Gwon`s qualification should be cancelled due to great procedural and substantive flaws. The federation must pay Gwon 5.2 million won (4,442 dollars) for the training that he did not receive because of the suspension."

eulius@donga.com