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Suspended national short track team coach to be reinstated

Published: 11 Sep. 2025, 13:51 Updated: 11 Sep. 2025, 18:25

Korean national short track speed skating team head coach Yoon Jae-myung, left, looks on during training at the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China on Feb. 3. [YONHAP]

Yoon Jae-myung will return to the head coach position of the national short track speed skating team after a months-long dispute over disciplinary action, the Korea Skating Union (KSU) announced on Wednesday.

The KSU board approved Yoon’s reinstatement earlier in the day.

“We will move forward with administrative procedures such as approval from the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee," a KSU official said. "Once the process is completed, Yoon will rejoin the national team at the Jincheon Training Center.”

The KSU’s sports ethics committee suspended Yoon for one month in May, citing issues with how he handled about 200,000 won ($144) in meal expenses during an international competition. The suspension excluded him from team training.

Yoon appealed to the Olympic Committee, which ruled that the matter did not warrant disciplinary action.

The KSU, however, convened its own disciplinary committee and imposed new penalties, citing broader issues such as poor team management.

The union then appointed Seongnam City Hall coach Kim Sun-tae as interim head coach. The move sparked controversy, however, with critics questioning the fairness of the process.

Rep. Jin Jong-oh of the People Power Party pointed out that Kim had previously received a one-year suspension in 2019 for poor player management, false reporting and negligence, arguing that the appointment violated rules for selecting and managing national coaches.

As criticism mounted, the KSU dismissed Kim from the Jincheon Training Center on Friday and moved to reinstate Yoon.

With Yoon at the helm, the national team will prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Whether another coach, who was suspended alongside Yoon but regained their qualifications through a court injunction, can return to the national team remains undecided.

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.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]