The head of South Korea’s top sports body has apologised for a litany of sexual assault cases between young athletes and their coaches and vowed to impose lifetime bans on offenders.



The move comes after double-Olympic short-track gold medallist Shim Suk-hee, 21, accused her former coach last week of raping and sexually molesting her multiple times, prompting several other victims to come forward.

Korean Sport and Olympic Committee president Lee Kee-heung apologised for what he called the “systematic flaw” that failed to prevent repeated misconduct.

“I will root out the coaches who try to manipulate the future of our athletes and use their status to commit unfair actions,” Lee said.



“I will impose a lifetime ban on sexual offenders and completely block them from local and overseas recruitment,” he added.

In September, Shim’s former coach, Cho Jae-beom, was convicted of assaulting her and jailed for 10 months, but he denied allegations sexual of assault.



The case has made headlines in South Korea where speed skating has a huge and devoted following. The country has won 24 gold medals since speed skating became an Olympic sport in 1992, more than any other country.

In an already intensely competitive society, winning is hight prized in the sports community – where coaches hold immense sway over athletes’ careers, and physical and verbal abuse are known to be rife.



In addition, South Korea remains socially conservative and female sex crime victims can face public shaming.