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“Questioning gender is sexual harassment”

February 26, 2014

National Human Rights Commission of Korea says

six soccer coaches should be punished for raising the issue with Park Eun-seon

Six football coaches who questioned the gender of Park Eun-seon, who had been through multiple gender tests to compete in the World Cup and the
Olympics, should be punished, the National Human Rights Commissions of Korea ruled Monday, saying their actions were tantamount to “sexual
harassment.” (Korea Times file)

By Jung Min-ho

Six football coaches who questioned the gender of Park Eun-seon ― one of the nation’s top female players ― should be punished, the National Human Rights Commissions of Korea (NHRCK) ruled Monday, saying their actions were tantamount to “sexual harassment.”

The 28-year-old six-foot forward for Seoul City Hall has been competing in the country’s top WK-League since 2005. But the head coaches of the remaining six teams questioned her “authenticity” as a woman in November and threatened to boycott the league if she continued to play.

The NHRCK decision is not legally binding. The league has yet to decide whether to independently punish the coaches.

“The coaches questioned the plain fact that Park is a woman. This is a violation of human rights and (a case of) sexual harassment,” the NHRCK said in a statement.

“Park felt humiliated by the accusation … She feels reluctant to participate in training for fear of facing those coaches on the field.”

Park has been one of the league’s top players, leading the league in scoring with 19 goals last season. Some suggest her dominating presence prompted the coaches’ allegations.

Park took to social media to defend herself following the allegations, calling them “humiliating” and reiterating that she has been through multiple gender tests. In addition to the domestic league, Park has competed in the World Cup and the Olympics.

The coaches’ gaffe may be affecting her performance: Park wasn’t selected for the 22-player national squad for the Cyprus Cup this year.

National team manager Yoon Deok-yeo said Tuesday that his decision had nothing to do with the gender controversy.

“I saw her play during winter training on Jeju Island. I just thought she wasn’t in her best shape yet,” Yoon said. “Soon the WK-League will kick off. If she plays well, she will be able to make it to the national team squad for the Asian Cup.”

The coaches of Suwon FMC and Goyang Daekyo stepped down when the issue came to the fore.

An official of Korea Football Association (KFA) said it has not been given official notification by the NHRCK, saying it will take two to three weeks to receive it.

The official said the KFA is reviewing similar cases handled by international organizations such as FIFA before making a decision on how to deal with the situation.