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SEOUL, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- New sexual assault allegations emerged Monday in South Korea as a former judo athlete accused her high school coach of abusing her. Shin Yu-yong accused her high school coach of sexually assaulting her from 2011 to 2015 in an interview with South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, released Monday.
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The accusation is the latest in a series of sexual assault and harassment allegations against powerful figures in South Korea's #MeToo movement.
According to the Hankyoreh report, the 24-year-old athlete sued the coach last March and submitted evidence to police. She also asked her former colleagues and a female coach to testify. They declined to testify and the case has been stalled.
Shin said she decided to sue the coach when he tried to pay her for her silence. The coach tried to give her $4,500 to drop the lawsuit against him. He also forced her to remain silent during high school years and threatened to "end her judo career."
The case resurfaced after South Korea's prominent short track speed skater Shim Suk-hee filed a complaint last week against her former coach over alleged sexual assault.
"I quit my judo and joined the MeToo movement. But Shim Suk-hee, who's currently on top of her career, bravely spoke out against sexual violence," Shin said in the Hankyoreh interview.
Other cases have lodged similar accusations against prominent officials and academia in South Korea. A former governor was acquitted of sexually assaulting his secretary last year.
Actresses and other women in the film industry exposed decades-old sexual harassment and assault allegations against a filmmaker and actor.
As in the United States, many stories have gone viral under the #MeToo hashtag.
Last week the South Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it would strengthen punishment for sexual misconduct and investigate with a state human rights council to learn untold cases of sexual abuse in the sports community.
Shin said a lot of athletes are still afraid of reporting sexual abuse due to fear of damaging their careers.
"A day has never passed without pain for me," she said in the report.
