South Korean skater defects to China after sex charge

A SOUTH Korean speed skater who won gold at the 2018 Winter Olympics has applied for Chinese citizenship and defected to its skating team after being banned from training or competing for his country due to a sexual harassment charge.

Lim Hyo-jun became a national hero three years ago after winning gold in the 1,500-metre short-track speedskating event and following that up with a bronze in the 500-metre discipline.

In June 2019, however, Mr Lim allegedly pulled down the underwear of a fellow skater during a session at the national training centre, exposing his team-mate to a number of skaters.

The Korea Skating Union banned Mr Lim, 24, from training and representing the nation for a year, the Joongang Daily reported, but he filed an injunction to have the ban lifted in December 2019.

The punishment was suspended, although Mr Lim was ordered to pay a fine of 3 million won (£1,900).

An appeal court found Mr Lim not guilty last year on the grounds that the victim had been acting aggressively towards the women and that his actions did not constitute sexual harassment. That ruling has since been appealed to the South Korean Supreme Court and, if the judges overturn the appeal court’s decision, the ban will be reimposed and effectively rule out Mr Lim skating for South Korea at the Beijing winter Olympics next year.

Mr Lim’s agency said he had applied for Chinese citizenship due to the “difficulties and disappointments of not being able to continue his career”. He is understood to have already left for China and will join his new team-mates as soon as he has completed a mandatory coronavirus quarantine period.

Mr Lim’s departure for one of South Korea’s biggest rivals has attracted criticism and his agency has asked the public to refrain from spreading rumours about his motivation.