Sports watchdog's disciplinary orders have little impact as athletics bodies protect their own
More than 40 percent of disciplinary requests made by the Korea Sport Ethics Center remained unresolved past the 90-day legal deadline, with no financial sanctions sought.
The Korea Sport Ethics Center in Mapo District, western Seoul
KOREA SPORT ETHICS CENTER
A recurring pattern of sports organizations shielding their members from punishment has undermined the Korea Sport Ethics Center's efforts to combat sexual misconduct, violence and corruption across Korean sports.
More than 40 percent of the 566 disciplinary requests issued by the Korea Sport Ethics Center between 2024 and August this year, or 231 cases, went unresolved beyond the statutory 90-day deadline, according to data obtained Tuesday by Democratic Party Rep. Kim Yun-duk, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee.
A year-by-year breakdown shows that 53 of 208 cases in 2024, 144 of 318 in 2025 and 34 of 40 through August of this year exceeded the statutory deadline without a response.
The regulations for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee's Commission for Fair Play in Sport allow sports organizations to impose disciplinary sanctions if sufficient grounds exist, even before a criminal investigation or trial concludes.
Despite those rules, critics accuse sports organizations of deliberately dragging out disciplinary proceedings to protect their own members, often under the guise of awaiting the outcome of criminal investigations.
Although legal safeguards exist to penalize such delays, they have remained ineffective because the ministry and agencies responsible for enforcement have taken no action.
Under the National Sports Promotion Act, organizations that fail to report the results of disciplinary proceedings within 90 days can face restrictions on government subsidies and other financial support for up to two years.
However, not a single request for financial sanctions has been submitted to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism by the center, even though 139 cases have exceeded the legal deadline since the law took effect on Aug. 1, 2025.
“Sports organizations that stall disciplinary proceedings without valid justification must immediately face restrictions on financial support under the law,” Kim said. “We need a system that automatically initiates sanctions whenever disciplinary outcomes are not reported within 90 days.”
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
