[단독] 따귀 이어 발 밟고 "귀머거리냐"…"신태용 폭행 1건 아냐"

While the debate rages on whether the video of former coach Shin Tae-yong (55) slapping a player during a team gathering, released by the JoongAng Ilbo on the 14th, constitutes 'assault' or 'a show of friendliness,' it has been revealed that Ulsan HD professional soccer players had demanded the club step in due to the coach's frequent verbal and physical abuse. The Ulsan club reportedly sent an initial formal warning 2-3 weeks after Coach Shin's arrival. Furthermore, the club promised the players they would issue a statement regarding the coach's assaults once the season concluded.

Players informed the club that Coach Shin not only slapped Jung Seung-hyun (31) during the team gathering in August but also hit Player A on the head with workout clothes during subsequent training sessions. They also reported that Coach Shin stepped on Players B and C's feet during training following a passing mistake, made them close their eyes, blew a whistle in their ear, and used the derogatory remark, "Are you deaf?" They reported a total of at least five assaults, including kicking Player D in the shins. Additionally, some players reported hearing verbal abuse and sexually harassing remarks. Ulsan's foreign players reportedly complained, sharing that they "struggled due to constant, unwarranted shouting or unnecessary nitpicking (from Coach Shin) during practice."

Jung Seung-hyun previously exposed the incident after the final K League 1 match on the 30th of last month, stating, "Even if the person who hit thinks it wasn't assault, if the person receiving (the hit) views it that way, then it is assault." The Ulsan club had been aware of these claims through interviews with the squad. For the past two months, the Ulsan club repeatedly promised the players they would "issue a statement regarding the assaults" once the season ended. However, the statement released by the Ulsan club on December 2nd only included an apology for poor performance and made no mention of the assaults. Ulsan stated, "We confirmed the facts with the players and subsequently dismissed [the coach]," adding, "The club plans to cooperate with the KFA (Korea Football Association), which is investigating this matter." Attempts to contact former coach Shin Tae-yong for a rebuttal were met with the response, "I have no position."

Meanwhile, a K League coach who saw the video remarked, "Isn't it a bit much to view this as 'assault'? It seems like the action of close friends happily meeting after a long time." Shin Tae-yong and Jung Seung-hyun share a teacher-student relationship, having participated together in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2018 Russia World Cup. Conversely, another soccer official commented, "For that scene to be a sign of friendliness, there needs to be 'additional action' before or after. But watching the video, Coach Shin unilaterally slaps and walks away. Who could possibly see that as a joke?" Attorney Gil Ki-bum of Law Office Gil stated, "Even if Coach Shin intended the act of slapping Jung to be a display of friendliness, considering the context of it happening in front of the whole squad, the intensity of the slap, and Jung's reaction, if it exceeds socially accepted boundaries, it constitutes assault."