Source: REUTERS/Susana Vera
[Saba Sports News] After An Se-young won the women’s singles title at the Paris Olympics, she expressed her grievances to the media about long-term bullying from seniors and her dissatisfaction with the Korean Badminton Association, even threatening to withdraw from the national team. Following this incident gaining attention, the Korean Ministry of Culture launched an investigation. Yesterday, the Ministry released its findings regarding this incident. The Ministry pointed out that the Badminton Association did not follow proper procedures when procuring shuttlecocks and illegally accepted sponsorship goods worth 150 million KRW while allegedly receiving improper subsidies during event organization. In response, the Ministry has requested police involvement to investigate suspected corruption and misconduct. Additionally, the investigation revealed that Kim Taek Soo exhibited workplace bullying within the association; 17 out of 18 staff members reported being subjected to his abusive language over a long period. They demanded Kim Taek Soo resign as president of the Korean Badminton Association. During the investigation, the Ministry collected opinions from 36 players and found their demands aligned with An Se-young’s. Consequently, the Ministry proposed a reform plan consisting of five major items with a total of 26 points. The Korean Ministry of Culture has issued an ultimatum to the Korean Badminton Association, emphasizing that this is their last chance to correct their mistakes; if conditions do not improve, management will be replaced and related budgets will be suspended.