Jeong Seong-sook, head coach of the South Korean women's judo team, has announced her intention to resign amid controversy over a weight disqualification incident at the 2026 Asian Games and a missed flight while traveling to the World Judo Championships.
Jeong made her resignation known to reporters upon returning to Incheon International Airport on October 13 after completing the World Judo Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
On September 30, Jeong Soo-jin (Yongin University), who was set to compete in the women's 48kg category at the Asian Games, passed the official weigh-in the day before the event. However, she was not informed in a timely manner by the coaching staff that she had been selected for a random weigh-in on the day of the competition.
The coaching staff, including Jeong, allowed her to eat without realizing this. After confirming her weigh-in status too late, Jeong Soo-jin attempted to lose weight by cutting her hair and vomiting but was disqualified for exceeding the allowed weight limit (50.4kg) by 100 grams.
The circumstances surrounding her disqualification came to light when Jeong Soo-jin posted on her social media on October 4, stating, "On the morning of the weigh-in, after the draw, the coach informed me that only one male athlete from the Korean team was selected, so I was told I was not subject to the weigh-in."
She added, "The coach and staff were busy focusing on the remaining athletes after saying they would take responsibility upon returning, and the Korean Judo Association did not inform me of this fact, leading to a lot of criticism directed at me. This morning, as we returned to Korea, Coach Jeong Seong-sook told me, 'This needs to be wrapped up quietly.'"
As the controversy grew, the Korean Judo Association issued a statement on October 5 acknowledging the seriousness of the situation regarding Jeong Soo-jin's disqualification and sincerely apologized for causing concern among judo enthusiasts and the public.
On October 13, Jeong Seong-sook refuted claims that she attempted to quietly resolve the disqualification issue, stating, "I apologized to the athlete multiple times and assured her that there would be no repercussions."
Following the Asian Games, on October 5, while traveling to the World Championships in Baku, Jeong and four female athletes missed their connecting flight at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.
They were unable to board the flight and had to wait for several hours at the airport before taking a substitute flight, which disrupted the athletes' conditioning ahead of the competition.
In response to allegations that they missed the flight while eating, Jeong clarified, "We did not miss the flight while eating; we were sitting in a café to pass the time."
The Korean Judo Association plans to hold a Performance Improvement Committee meeting on October 16 to discuss Jeong's resignation and the future of other coaching staff, as well as to continue investigating the circumstances surrounding Jeong Soo-jin's disqualification.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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