Ex-KPGA official found guilty again on appeal, given suspended sentence for coercing, insulting staff

A former senior official of the Korea Professional Golf Association who received a prison sentence at trial on charges of coercing and insulting staff members received a suspended sentence on appeal.

The KPGA labor union, led by union chief Heo Jun, said the first and second criminal division of the Seoul Eastern District Court sentenced the former senior official, identified only as A, to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, on Thursday. A had been indicted on charges of coercion, insult and violations of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

A had been sentenced to eight months in prison at the first trial on Dec. 16 last year but was not taken into custody in the courtroom. A subsequently appealed, arguing the sentence was too harsh, while prosecutors also appealed, contending it was too lenient given the severity of the offenses.

According to the union, the appeals court said A had exploited workplace power dynamics to threaten the victim with verbal abuse and profanity, publicly humiliate the victim and pressure the victim into resigning. The court found the nature of the offenses to be serious.

However, the court suspended the sentence, taking into account that A was dismissed from the association in July 2025 and that KPGA President Kim Won-seop and other association officials had submitted petitions for leniency. A will avoid serving prison time as a result, though the charges of coercion and insult against the employee were upheld on appeal.

Allegations of workplace harassment by A, a former KPGA tour professional, became public in late 2024. The union said A had repeatedly directed verbal abuse, profanity and threatening remarks at multiple employees.

In the case of employee B, the direct victim in the criminal trial, the union said A had subjected B to personal insults over work-related mistakes, made personal attacks invoking B's family, implied threats of personnel disadvantages to pressure B into resigning, and repeatedly demanded that B sign written pledges.

Additional allegations included threatening remarks about personal safety, demands that B take forced leave, excessive demands for written explanations and incident reports, and pressure to withdraw from the union. The union said that after B filed an internal complaint, the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Sports Ethics Center conducted investigations, leading to administrative fines and criminal proceedings.

Separately from the appeals court ruling, the union said the association must take steps to protect victims and prevent recurrence. It said an internal survey conducted by the association after the case became public confirmed that multiple employees had suffered similar harm, but that follow-up support had been insufficient.

KPGA President Kim Won-seop apologized to all staff when the issue surfaced in late 2024. However, the union said meaningful follow-up measures for B were not taken, and that psychological counseling support was provided only after the union formally demanded action in writing.

The union also said employees who suffered additional harm had not received adequate individual support or protective measures. "We have not been able to confirm that any substantive measures have been implemented for additional victim employees to date," the union said, urging the association to "carefully re-examine the situation of each victim and establish effective protection measures and plans to prevent recurrence."