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After winning the Paris Olympics this year, An Se-young shared her dissatisfaction with the Korean Badminton Association and mentioned bullying from senior players. Her relationship with the national team was tense, even though she ultimately triumphed. However, this issue seems far from over.
At the 2024 Denmark Open last week, An Se-young displayed a nonchalant attitude about the match results. During a break, she noticeably ignored her coach, Sung Ji-hyun, turning her back to him even when drinking water, completely disregarding his presence.
This greatly irritated Kim Choong-yui, the Korean Badminton Association President. On October 22, during a National Assembly inspection, Kim Choong-yui openly criticized An Se-young for her arrogance and disrespect toward the coaching team.
Kim described An Se-young as a “misbehaved, self-centered sports star” and mentioned her reluctance to greet anyone, including himself, even at the Denmark Open.
However, this sparked backlash from National Assembly members. Representative Yang called Jincheon National Training Center director Jang Jae-geun to testify. Yang questioned Jang about An Se-young’s alleged disrespect, to which Jang replied, “When did such incidents happen?”
Representative Yang further challenged Kim: “Despite An Se-young’s global ranking, she lacks Korean national team support. You should help her succeed, but instead, you criticize her character. Does that satisfy you?”
Another representative, Min, remarked, “An Se-young is extremely cautious, fearing any request might appear selfish. How can you, as President, make such statements? Apologize to her.”
Under continued criticism, President Kim expressed he would consider resigning and apologize to An Se-young: “I will apologize to An Se-young.”
