Kim Yuna

In the context of the Choi Soon-sil scandal, South Korean media reported in 2016 that Kim had allegedly faced retaliation from the Sports Ministry after not participating in the 2014 launch of the "Neulpum" gymnastics programme. She had subsequently been excluded in 2015 from the final selection process for "sports heroes" despite overwhelming support in an online vote, on the basis of an age criterion presented as newly applied. The criterion was subsequently abolished and Kim received the title in 2016.

State of the evidence

Alleged

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Kim's silver medal behind Adelina Sotnikova at the Sochi Games triggered international controversy over the scores and composition of the judging panel. South Korean sporting authorities filed formal complaints with the International Skating Union. The ISU rejected them, finding in particular that no conflict of interest or disciplinary bias could be established in the matters challenged.

State of the evidence

Documented

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Following the end of her contract with IB Sports and the creation of her own agency, Kim brought legal proceedings to recover advertising revenue she considered unpaid. IB Sports maintained that it was entitled to a share of contracts concluded during its management period. In January 2012, a Seoul court approved an agreement providing for payment of 800 million won to Kim and both parties' withdrawal of further proceedings relating to the former contract.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Personally implicated

In 2012, Kim, then aged 21, became the face of a beer brand. The Korean Academy of Addiction Psychiatry publicly expressed concern about the influence of sporting role models on young people and called for debate on alcohol advertising rules. The controversy contributed to parliamentary discussion of a proposal to prohibit athletes and entertainers under 25 from appearing in television alcohol advertisements.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated

Hwang Sang-min, a professor at Yonsei University, publicly described Kim's teaching placement at a secondary school as merely a "show", accusing her of failing to fulfil her obligations seriously. Kim filed a defamation complaint. She withdrew it a few days later, with her lawyer stating that the aim had been to obtain an apology and defend the seriousness of her work.

Attribution

Personally implicated

A few months after her Olympic title in Vancouver, Kim Yu-na and her coach Brian Orser ended their collaboration. Their representatives offered opposing accounts of who had initiated the split. Kim publicly accused Orser of lying and denied that her mother had made the decision for her. The conflict intensified when Orser revealed the music for Kim's future free programme, which her agency denounced as a breach of an unwritten rule in figure skating.

State of the evidence

Documented

Legal status — source text

No legal proceedings

Attribution

Personally implicated