Lee Hae In, a figure skater for the South Korean national team, has come out against claims that her 16-year-old male assistant, “C,” harassed her sexually. Lee Hae In and Yoo Young, two female figure skaters, were both provisionally suspended last week by a committee established by The Korea Skating Union. This came after it was discovered that both skaters had drunk alcohol without permission on many occasions while practicing with the national team in Italy. Lee Hae In and Yoo Young were found to have sexually harassed ‘C,’ a younger male figure skating representative, while they were drunk in their dorm, according to the committee’s inquiry. Lee Hae In is now asserting that the training camp event did not involve sexual harassment.She was provisionally suspended for three years for her behavior and is likely to not be able to compete in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan. As part of his apology for drinking alcohol at a crucial training camp, Lee Hae In said, “the news reports saying that I sexually harassed a minor are absolutely false.” We were dating, but I couldn’t say anything about it because of the committee’s inquiry, Lee Hae In continued. I felt my entire world was collapsing when it was said that I had sexually molested a youngster. So the figure skater said, “I thought that it was just a way of expressing affection.” The figure skater’s lawyer, Lee Hae In, relayed the news that Hae In plans to appeal the committee’s verdict, saying, “There was no sexual harassment, simply light physical contact between two people who were dating.” At the same time, Lee Hae In’s silver medal performance at the ‘2023 World Figure Skating Championships’ in Saitama, Japan, suggested that she could be the next big thing in South Korean figure skating.
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