Coaches who conceal or fabricate evidence related to violence against student athletes can be dismissed immediately after a single offense under new Ministry of Education guidelines distributed to schools in March.
Starting this school year, abuse of student athletes will be subject to tougher penalties under the new “one-strike” system.
Coaches who physically abuse students may receive a suspension in some minor cases, but serious acts of physical violence can lead to dismissal. Sexual assault against student athletes will be punishable by dismissal.
Those who verbally or emotionally abuse student athletes will face penalties ranging from a pay cut to dismissal, depending on the severity of the case. Those who aid or abet nonsexual violence will face similar penalties, although intermediate sanctions may be slightly lighter.
Sexual harassment and aiding or abetting sexual violence against student athletes will be punishable by at least suspension and up to dismissal. Under the previous standards, sexual harassment could be punished by suspension in minor cases, but the revised guidelines call for tougher penalties.
The changes mark an overhaul of disciplinary standards for athletic coaches first introduced in August 2021.
Like teachers, athletic coaches are subject to the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act as school employees. Coaches who violate the law may face disciplinary action ranging from a reprimand to dismissal.
Athletic coaches are typically contract workers who supervise student athletes but are not public officials like teachers. While teachers are subject to penalties prescribed by law, disciplinary action against athletic coaches had largely been left to the discretion of school principals before the ministry issued the guidelines.
Abuse of student athletes by coaches has long been a serious issue in South Korea. A report by the state-run Korea Sports Ethics Center showed that 32.1 percent of student athletes experienced verbal or emotional abuse from 2022 to 2024, while 20.2 percent said they had suffered physical violence.
Reports show that while most violence was inflicted by other students, at 39.8 percent according to the center’s 2023 report, assistant coaches and head coaches accounted for 21.3 percent and 24.5 percent of cases, respectively.
The new guidelines for athletic coaches are not legally binding, but the ministry said they will provide grounds for stronger punishment of violence against student athletes.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
