SEOUL-- The national curling governing body announced Friday that lifetime bans issued on abusive officials and coaches have been upheld.
The Korean Curling Federation (KCF) said the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) dismissed appeals by former KCF Vice President Kim Kyung-doo, his daughter Kim Min-jung and her husband Jang Ban-seok. The decision was reached on June 11, according to the KCF.
The KCF handed down permanent bans on the three figures last November for their abusive behavior on women's national team curlers.
The Kims were once considered the royal family in South Korean curling. Kim Kyung-doo was a founding member of the KCF in 1994. Kim Min-jung was the head coach of the women's team when South Korea won silver at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics. Jang coached the mixed doubles team at the same Olympics.
That Olympic silver, with skip Kim Eun-jung leading the team, was one of the feel-good stories at the 2018 Winter Games. But later that same year, Kim and her teammates claimed that they had endured years of verbal and emotional abuse by Kim Kyung-doo and his family.
The sports ministry launched a probe into the athletes' charges, and the ministry concluded in February 2019 that those allegations were true. The Kim family also owed the athletes millions in prize money won at international competitions.
Source: Yonhap News Agency