Judo national team head coach Jung Sung-sook announces resignation over athlete mismanagement

Jung Sung-sook, head coach of South Korea's national judo team, has announced her intention to resign, taking responsibility for the mismanagement of athletes under her charge.

The national judo team returned to South Korea through Incheon International Airport on Tuesday after competing in the 2026 International Judo Federation World Championships, held at the National Gymnastics Arena in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Speaking to reporters at Incheon International Airport that day, Jung offered a public apology. "On behalf of the coaching staff, I sincerely apologize again to Jung Su-jin and her family. I am truly sorry," she said.

The Korea Judo Association plans to convene a performance improvement committee meeting on Friday to discuss, among other matters, whether other national team coaches will be retained — once Jung formally submits her resignation letter.

Earlier, Jung had failed to notice that Jung Su-jin, a student at Yongin University who had been set to compete in the women's under-48-kilogram category at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, was subject to a random weigh-in on the day of her bout. Jung advised the athlete to eat, which led to her disqualification.

The incident came to light after Jung Su-jin disclosed it on her personal social media account.

The head coach also drew fire after missing a connecting flight in Dubai, UAE, while traveling to Azerbaijan for the World Championships.