Considering how Koreans tend to keep embarrassing things like this quiet, I am not surprised how sexual abuse like this was allowed to go on for so long:
Former tennis player Kim Eun-hee speaks during an interview in Seoul on May 29. Kim waived anonymity to reveal how many athletes in South Korea have silently suffered sexual abuse by their coaches.
When Kim Eun-hee was 10 years old, a primary school child with dreams of tennis stardom, her coach raped her for the first time. Then he did it again. And again. And again.
The South Korean was too young to even know what sex was. But she knew she dreaded the repeated orders to come to his room at their training camp, and the pain and humiliation.
“It took me years to realize that it was rape,” Kim said. “He kept raping me for two years. … He told me it was a secret to be kept between him and me.”
Now 27, Kim has spoken to international media about her experiences for the first time, and revealed how female athletes in South Korea have silently suffered sexual abuse by their coaches. (……..)
In a highly competitive society where winning is everything, many young athletes forgo schooling or live away from families to train with their peers and coaches full time, living in a dorm-like environment for years.
The training camp system — akin to models used by communist sporting machines such as China — is credited with helping the South punch well above its weight on the global sporting stage.
But it has proven to be the setting for abuse in several sports — especially of underage athletes whose existence is controlled by their trainers.
“The coach was the king of my world, dictating everything about my daily life from how to exercise to when to sleep and what to eat,” said Kim, adding that he beat her repeatedly as part of “training.”
The coach was eventually dismissed after some parents complained of his “suspicious behavior,” but he was simply moved to another school with no criminal inquiry. Many victims are forced into silence in a world where going public often means the end of any aspirations to stardom.
“This is a community where those who speak out are ostracized and bullied as ‘traitors’ who brought shame to the sport,” said Chung Yong-chul, a sports psychology professor at Sogang University in Seoul.
A 2014 survey commissioned by the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee showed that around 1 in 7 female athletes had experienced sexual abuse in the previous year, but 70 percent of them did not seek help of any kind. [Japan Times]
@GI Korea: FYI, pedophile coaches, priests, teachers, and other authority figures preying upon their young charges oftentimes for many years in secret is pandemic and happens all over the world, including the U.S. — not just Korea as you seem to suggest. That it also happens in Korea does not mean that this is indicative of “how Koreans tend to keep embarrassing things like this quiet,” no more than you can generalize the same thing happening in the U.S. is indicative of ‘how Americans tend to keep embarrassing things like this quiet,’ cf, Dr. Larry Nassar, the disgraced physician and convicted sexual predator who preyed on young girls while working for the U.S. women’s olympic team: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/larry-nassar-former-usa-gymnastics-doctor-due-to-be-sentenced-for-sex-crimes/2018/01/24/9acc22f8-0115-11e8-8acf-ad2991367d9d_story.html?utm_term=.aa656f498e0c
(And btw, the girl was a 10-year-old minor — not a sophisticated and experienced adult who knew how to defend herself and avail herself of the law.)
Flyingsword
6 years ago
HK, note this blog is about Korea. Yes the world has problem but here we focus on Korea and Korea issues.
I do wonder if Korea will erect an abused athlete statue in front of the Korean Olympic HQ.
HK
6 years ago
@Flyingsword: lol. As if we didn’t notice. That doesn’t change the fact that how gikorea chose to frame this story suggests that such crimes and the reports of them is rather endemic and pervasive in Korea instead of being an exception to the norm. Meanwhile, this kind of story is so typical and prevalent in the U.S., e.g., the daily parade of sex-abusing pedophile teachers, Catholic priests, scoutmasters, sports coaches worming their way into every level of Ameeican society that Ameeicans have become completely inured to it in the news cycle to the point where it no longer shocks anyone anymore. On the other hand, these kind of crimes as well as the reporting of them is still rather new and uncommon in Korea to the point where Koreans are still quite shocked by this kind of thing.
Ole Tanker
6 years ago
Rape of the athlete population can easily be extrapolated from rape in the General Population as a whole. Countries like India, Pakistan, and Korea all have high rape rates, I know that even without statistics. Countries with increasing Muslim populations are likewise facing more cases of rape, just look at Germany. The measure of a developing nation, as well as a retarded nation is evidenced by their addressing the reporting and problem. Improving Countries try to prevent rape, Muslims try to incorporate it into a part of their religion, through subjugation of the female population.
“Whataboutism” HK must have taken a troll refresher course; but he’s so far behind Tom in human interest that we doubt he can ever catch up. And Tom hasn’t been here for what? 4 years?
Meanwhile, the parents of the children surrendered to these monsters ought to get a gibbet right next to the coaches. There is no excuse for selling your children into this environment. 😡 😡 😡
HK
6 years ago
Definition of a troll: Uses statements like, “I know this even without statistics” and b.s. weasel words like “whataboutism” to give the illusion of heft to their own trolling.
HK
6 years ago
Contrary to OleTanker’s mendacious and b.s. assertion, no, Korea is not even in the top 50 of “high rape rates” worldwide. Which countries are in the top 10 for rape in the world? Not surprisingly, every Angliphone country is, as well as India, Pakistan, etc., but no Korea, sorry to disapoint you. However, we do know one thing for sure: The U.S. is #1 for rapes in the world. (Perhaps you’ve never been to Korea where young women can walk around Seoul by themselves at all ours of the night without any worries about their personal safety. FYI, I wouldn’t let my wife or daughter do the same thing in the States, but in Seoul, it”s possible. That said, here are the top 10 rape nations in the world, and guess what — none of them are in East Asia: https://www.wonderslist.com/10-countries-highest-rape-crime/
GI, I understand about “rules; but could you check why my response went away?
Ole Tanker
6 years ago
KH that’s is an interesting article, I recommend everyone read the reader’s comments on the article, I can’t improve on them.
I don’t see women in Korea getting much respect, I had to listen to a neighbor’s wife being beat and her pleading with her husband to stop. All of us neighbors, me being the only American just poked our head out in the alley and shrugged it off as, “That the way it is in Korea.” I for one wasn’t going to raise a fuss if the Koreans wouldn’t.
HK
6 years ago
LOL Shitnaffa! Not impressed by your cherry picking. Meanwhile, look at the kind of unbelievable psychotic shit that is breaking right now — and on a daily basis — in the American Heartland where another unhappy white guy just murdered his whole family — his pregnant wife and two young daughters — in an act of violence that is no longer shocking to the American public. Nowadays, after San Ysidro, Edmond, OKC, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, etc., the most dangerous species on earth continues to be the Ameriican, white-male apex predator posing as a husband, father, son, family member and role model of the community: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/16/husband-confesses-to-killing-pregnant-wife-2-daughters-reports.html
@GI Korea: FYI, pedophile coaches, priests, teachers, and other authority figures preying upon their young charges oftentimes for many years in secret is pandemic and happens all over the world, including the U.S. — not just Korea as you seem to suggest. That it also happens in Korea does not mean that this is indicative of “how Koreans tend to keep embarrassing things like this quiet,” no more than you can generalize the same thing happening in the U.S. is indicative of ‘how Americans tend to keep embarrassing things like this quiet,’ cf, Dr. Larry Nassar, the disgraced physician and convicted sexual predator who preyed on young girls while working for the U.S. women’s olympic team: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/larry-nassar-former-usa-gymnastics-doctor-due-to-be-sentenced-for-sex-crimes/2018/01/24/9acc22f8-0115-11e8-8acf-ad2991367d9d_story.html?utm_term=.aa656f498e0c
(And btw, the girl was a 10-year-old minor — not a sophisticated and experienced adult who knew how to defend herself and avail herself of the law.)
HK, note this blog is about Korea. Yes the world has problem but here we focus on Korea and Korea issues.
I do wonder if Korea will erect an abused athlete statue in front of the Korean Olympic HQ.
@Flyingsword: lol. As if we didn’t notice. That doesn’t change the fact that how gikorea chose to frame this story suggests that such crimes and the reports of them is rather endemic and pervasive in Korea instead of being an exception to the norm. Meanwhile, this kind of story is so typical and prevalent in the U.S., e.g., the daily parade of sex-abusing pedophile teachers, Catholic priests, scoutmasters, sports coaches worming their way into every level of Ameeican society that Ameeicans have become completely inured to it in the news cycle to the point where it no longer shocks anyone anymore. On the other hand, these kind of crimes as well as the reporting of them is still rather new and uncommon in Korea to the point where Koreans are still quite shocked by this kind of thing.
Rape of the athlete population can easily be extrapolated from rape in the General Population as a whole. Countries like India, Pakistan, and Korea all have high rape rates, I know that even without statistics. Countries with increasing Muslim populations are likewise facing more cases of rape, just look at Germany. The measure of a developing nation, as well as a retarded nation is evidenced by their addressing the reporting and problem. Improving Countries try to prevent rape, Muslims try to incorporate it into a part of their religion, through subjugation of the female population.
“Whataboutism” HK must have taken a troll refresher course; but he’s so far behind Tom in human interest that we doubt he can ever catch up. And Tom hasn’t been here for what? 4 years?
Meanwhile, the parents of the children surrendered to these monsters ought to get a gibbet right next to the coaches. There is no excuse for selling your children into this environment. 😡 😡 😡
Definition of a troll: Uses statements like, “I know this even without statistics” and b.s. weasel words like “whataboutism” to give the illusion of heft to their own trolling.
Contrary to OleTanker’s mendacious and b.s. assertion, no, Korea is not even in the top 50 of “high rape rates” worldwide. Which countries are in the top 10 for rape in the world? Not surprisingly, every Angliphone country is, as well as India, Pakistan, etc., but no Korea, sorry to disapoint you. However, we do know one thing for sure: The U.S. is #1 for rapes in the world. (Perhaps you’ve never been to Korea where young women can walk around Seoul by themselves at all ours of the night without any worries about their personal safety. FYI, I wouldn’t let my wife or daughter do the same thing in the States, but in Seoul, it”s possible. That said, here are the top 10 rape nations in the world, and guess what — none of them are in East Asia:
https://www.wonderslist.com/10-countries-highest-rape-crime/
HK doesn’t even lie well. Truly a sad case.
Women in Seoul cannot walk alone at all hours free from worry. Unless you mean the raping of Korean and waygook women isn’t really “rape” rape.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=11643186
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miryang_gang_rape
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/cnainsider/south-korea-sexual-harassment-revenge-porn-abuse-get-real-9987316
https://www.vice.com/en_au/article/yvjnjg/south-koreas-rape-problem-is-actually-a-gender-inequality-problem
HK, you need to pander your lame Chinese agitprop somewhere else. At least until you get better at it. You’re really embarrassingly bad at this.
GI, I understand about “rules; but could you check why my response went away?
KH that’s is an interesting article, I recommend everyone read the reader’s comments on the article, I can’t improve on them.
I don’t see women in Korea getting much respect, I had to listen to a neighbor’s wife being beat and her pleading with her husband to stop. All of us neighbors, me being the only American just poked our head out in the alley and shrugged it off as, “That the way it is in Korea.” I for one wasn’t going to raise a fuss if the Koreans wouldn’t.
LOL Shitnaffa! Not impressed by your cherry picking. Meanwhile, look at the kind of unbelievable psychotic shit that is breaking right now — and on a daily basis — in the American Heartland where another unhappy white guy just murdered his whole family — his pregnant wife and two young daughters — in an act of violence that is no longer shocking to the American public. Nowadays, after San Ysidro, Edmond, OKC, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Orlando, Las Vegas, Parkland, etc., the most dangerous species on earth continues to be the Ameriican, white-male apex predator posing as a husband, father, son, family member and role model of the community:
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/16/husband-confesses-to-killing-pregnant-wife-2-daughters-reports.html
Tbone’s mom is posting now?
Stuck in limbo again? GI, can you tell me what words are not allowed? 😡 😡 😡