On May 9, the Cheongju District Court sentenced speedskaters Kim Min-seok and Jung Jae-woong to a fine of 4 million won each for violating the Road Traffic Act. Their case dates back to July last year.
On July 22, 2022, four national speedskating athletes – Kim Min-seok, Jeong Jae-woong, Jeong Jae-won, and Jeong Sun-gyo – went out with their coach’s permission after afternoon training at the Jincheon National Athletes’ Village in Chungcheongbuk-do, and drank alcohol over dinner. Jung Jae-woong drove Kim Min-seok’s car back. Shortly thereafter, Kim Min-seok drove Jeong Jae-woong and Jeong Sun-gyo around the athletes’ village, and then drove them and national short-track athlete Park Ji-yoon back, causing them to crash into the boundary stone of a sidewalk block in the athletes’ village. The accident was controversial because it took place in and around the athletes’ village, and because these athletes are national athletes, especially Kim Min-seok and Jung Jae-won, who were medalists at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.
Kim Min-seok was suspended for one year and six months for his second DUI and accident, Jung Jae-woong was suspended for one year for his first DUI, Jung Sun-kyo and Jung Jae-won were suspended for six months and two months, respectively, for riding without stopping, and finally, Kim Jin-soo was suspended for one year (Korea Ice Sports Federation Sports Fairness Commission, August 8, 2022).
Kim Min-seok and Jung Jae-woong, who drove drunk themselves, were investigated for violating the Road Traffic Act. Although the inside of the athletes’ village is not a “road” as defined by the Road Traffic Act, Kim Min-seok was also investigated for driving while intoxicated off the road. The prosecution filed a summary indictment with a fine of 8 million won, and the court ordered the same in March. However, they appealed the summary judgment and requested a full trial, and the court sentenced them to a fine of 4 million won.
It’s worth noting that Kim Min-seok and Jung Jae-woong went to trial against the summary judgment order of 8 million won and were fined 4 million won. Of course, it is the right of a criminal defendant to request a full trial against a summary order, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, the fact that the athletes did not request a review from the KOC, and their suspensions were finalized, makes it unusual for them to appeal the fine in a criminal trial. I believe the reason for this can be found in the KOC’s “Regulations for the Selection and Operation of the National Team”.
“Article 10 of the National Team Selection and Operation Regulations establishes the reasons for disqualification from the national team, and among them is a fine for driving under the influence of alcohol (No. 9). Specifically, a person who has been sentenced to a fine of more than 5 million won and the sentence has been finalized must wait three years, and a person who has been sentenced to a fine of less than 5 million won and the sentence has been finalized must wait two years before being eligible to represent the national team.메이저사이트
Kim Min-seok’s suspension will end around February 2024 and Jung Jae-woong’s around August 2023. However, if the fine imposed by the court is more than 5 million won, the “national team ineligibility period” will end in March 2026, and if it is less than 5 million won, in May 2025. As a result, Kim Min-seok and Jung Jae-woong may have requested a formal trial, as the amount of their fines will determine when they can compete in the national speedskating trials. If they are sentenced to a fine of less than 5 million won, they will be able to compete in the national speedskating trials scheduled for fall 2025, and they will be able to represent their country at the 25th Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina in February 2026.
A national athlete is literally an athlete who represents their country. I hope that the outcome of this formal trial will not only be a test for the national team for the next Winter Olympics, but also an opportunity to truly realize the meaning of the national team and the weight of the Taeguk mark.