인권위 '체육계 미투' 실태조사…역대 최대규모 조사단 구성
South Korea's human rights commission launched a special investigation team to root out sexual violence in the nation's sporting circles.
This comes after series of allegations made by female athletes, including an Olympic short track champion.
Cha Sang-mi has the full story.
The largest-scale special probe into South Korea's sporting circles has been launched, amid snowballing claims of sexual misconduct.
During a press conference on Tuesday, Choi Young-ae the head of the National Human Rights Commission of Korea unveiled plans to launch a special investigation team on sexual abuse cases in the field.
"Under our commission, we have decided to launch a special investigation team for sports human rights. Officials from education, sports, and gender equality ministries will be dispatched to form the team to conduct one year of independent investigation planning, case investigations and policy improvement work."
The commission head said the team was necessary considering no changes were seen in the sports field, despite decades-long criticisms and efforts to root out sexual violence.
She pointed out that the violence had been able to take place because of the structural issues in the sporting circles, where the athletes and coaches work intimately and it is difficult to make such issues public.
The exact timing of the investigation and the list of delegations for the team are being discussed by the security ministry and others.
The investigation period is set for one year, but can be expanded accordingly.
The commission will open up registrations of sexual violence cases, launch a fact-finding probe, and provide consultation support for the victims.
The announcement comes after two-time Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee claimed that her coach had raped her for years, followed by similar sexual misconduct accusations raised by former judo and taekwondo athletes.
Cha Sang-mi, Arirang News.