Sister of Popular Korean Volleyball Duo Retires Amid Intense Bullying Allegations and Regrets

“Please support my second life as well. I have played volleyball in a way that I wouldn’t be embarrassed in front of fans, so I have no regrets.”

On July 15, Lee Jae-yeong (27), a former South Korean national volleyball player, made this retirement announcement on a friend’s SNS. Jae-yeong, along with her twin sister Lee Da-yeong, was a leading and popular figure in South Korean women’s volleyball. While expressing gratitude for the love from many fans, she also reflected on past controversies with a sense of regret, stating:

“I apologize and reflect on my mistakes. However, until false information is corrected, it means nothing. My feeling that ‘what is wrong is wrong’ remains unchanged.”

 

The incident Jae-yeong reflects on while maintaining that “what is wrong is wrong” is the severe bullying allegations that came to light in February 2021. “FRIDAY Digital” reported in detail about the sisters’ troubles in an article published on February 18 of the same year. We reprint it here to revisit the scandal that shook the South Korean sports world (some content has been modified).

 

“Is there any sense of apology?”

“Lee Da-yeong of the women’s volleyball team is in emergency hospitalization.”

On February 7, 2021, South Korean TV stations and newspapers simultaneously reported this. Lee Da-yeong, Jae-yeong’s twin sister, was a key player on the South Korean women’s volleyball team for the Tokyo Olympics. The team she was with at the time, the “Hae Kook Life Pink Spiders,” announced that she was hospitalized due to abdominal pain caused by stress. The incident seemed to settle quickly. However…

“On the same day, a post appeared online alleging that the sisters had bullied someone. The victim claimed they had been subjected to severe violence during middle school. The post on the internet stated: ‘Despite being the perpetrators, the sisters have not offered a proper apology or reflection. Is there any sense of apology?’ The stress Da-yeong experienced might have been related to this accusation,” said a South Korean newspaper reporter.

Jae-yeong and Da-yeong, popular as the beautiful sisters, frequently appeared on TV variety shows and in commercials for Kia Motors. Their father was a former hammer throw athlete, and their mother was a member of the South Korean volleyball team for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. With their inherited athletic abilities, they were prominent South Korean athletes since elementary school. The scandal involving these popular figures only grew larger, leading to a significant rise in criticism against the sisters.

“On February 10, the team they were affiliated with officially apologized. The sisters also admitted the facts and released a handwritten apology message. However, public outrage did not subside, with calls for expulsion and unforgivable dominating the discourse. The team notified the sisters of a suspension from future matches, and the Korean Volleyball Association imposed an indefinite suspension of their eligibility as national team players,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

What kind of bullying did the sisters engage in? The details are extreme. A South Korean journalist familiar with the incident reveals:

“It appears that the victims were not just one person. Multiple former middle school teammates reported being subjected to abusive language such as ‘dirty’ and ‘don’t come near me,’ and during meetings, they were reportedly beaten for ‘lack of spirit.’ Players who shared a room in the dormitory were allegedly ordered to run errands after lights out and threatened with a knife if they refused. Some reportedly had their heads struck hard with a fist after losing a match.

The sisters’ harassment went beyond just physical violence. If players were deemed to lack tension during practice, they were reportedly required to pay fines under the pretext of penalties. After practice, they would call juniors and others to massage them in turns.”

The background to the escalation of this accusation into a major scandal is rooted in specific circumstances unique to South Korea.

“At the time, the South Korean sports world was experiencing a series of troubles. In June 2020, a triathlete, A, took their own life due to abuse from team doctors. Short track athlete B and tennis coach C publicly disclosed their experiences of sexual assault.

Former President Moon Jae-in also took the sisters’ troubles seriously. On February 16, he expressed his pain over ‘repeated incidents of violence, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment in the sports world.’ Bullying is a deeply entrenched issue in South Korean sports,” said the aforementioned South Korean newspaper reporter.

After the allegations surfaced, TV stations deleted archives of the programs featuring the sisters. The sisters retaliated by announcing they would file counterclaims against former classmates who had exposed the bullying. However, this move only further fueled public resentment, leading them to play for an overseas team for a time.

With the bullying allegations leading to a tumultuous athletic career, Jae-yeong’s supporters are now keenly watching which path she will choose for her second life as she seeks support from both domestic and international fans.