Shooting Star Falls: Federation President Steps Down Amid Wage Scandal Despite Record-Breaking Success

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Korean Shooting in ‘Confusion’ Despite Best Results Ever

After completing the 2024 Paris Olympics, the South Korean shooting team returned home in glory. They achieved their best ever performance by winning three gold medals and three silver medals, surpassing the achievement of the 2012 London Olympics where they won three gold medals and two silver medals.

However, the shooting world was thrown into chaos at a time when it should have been enjoying the valuable results that the athletes had worked so hard to achieve. This was because on the 6th, while the Paris Olympics were in full swing, Shin Myung-joo, the president of the Korea Shooting Federation, suddenly announced his intention to resign. This was because of a wage arrears at the general hospital ‘Myung-joo Hospital’, which was run by former president Shin Myung-joo in Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, and which was named after him.

Just four days before he announced his intention to resign, the media described former Chairman Shin as a “relief pitcher” who would lead the “renaissance” of Korean shooting. The Shooting Federation was having a hard time finding a leader for a long time just before it achieved valuable results. Hanwha Group, which had been the chairman of the Korea Shooting Federation for over 20 years since 2002, stepped down from the chairmanship in November of last year. Since then, the Shooting Federation has been without a leader for over half a year. Then, in June, former Vice Chairman of the Korea Hockey Association, Shin Myung-joo, the director of Myungju Hospital, ran as the sole candidate for the new chairman and was elected as the new chairman of the Shooting Federation.

At the inauguration ceremony of the president of the Shooting Federation held along with the departure ceremony of the shooting team for the Paris Olympics early last month, former president Shin Myung-joo said, “I feel an infinite honor and a great sense of responsibility to be the president of the Shooting Federation.” Former president Shin also expressed bold aspirations, saying, “I will establish an organic communication system to create a federation where everyone can participate,” and “I will open the way to financial independence for the stability of the Shooting Federation.” However, just one month after taking office, he resigned voluntarily for personal reasons, making his words an empty promise.

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Due to hospital management difficulties, wages have not been paid since last year

Myungju Hospital, located in Cheoin-gu, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, was once a large general hospital with 650 employees. A Myungju Hospital official said, “Former Chairman Shin dreamed of his hospital functioning smoothly as a regional base hospital.” Was that why? In June 2022, former Chairman Shin rapidly expanded Myungju Hospital to 23 clinical departments and 18 specialized centers. It didn’t stop there. Former Chairman Shin purchased land around Myungju Hospital to build additional hospital buildings. However, it seems that the substance was not properly prepared compared to the appearance. Another Myungju Hospital official explained, “Myungju Hospital has not made a single profit on a monthly basis since its opening.”

Source: Myeongju Hospital

As they failed to make a profit, the hospital’s deficit gradually increased, and it was natural that they would experience financial difficulties. The nurses at Myeongju Hospital get paid on the 10th of every month. However, when MBC checked the salary payment history of one Myeongju Hospital nurse, it was found that Myeongju Hospital had not paid the full promised wages on the 10th of every month since May of last year. In some cases, the wages were paid in installments of three times. Eventually, since April of this year, the situation has gotten to the point where the employees have not received wages at all.

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Shin Myeong-ju, strange behavior despite not paying employees’ wages

Despite the hospital’s dire situation, hospital administrators were quick to hide the situation, saying, “The hospital is cruising.” In a text message to all employees in June, former Chairman Shin positively mentioned the hospital’s situation, saying, “We are going through the final labor pains of financial stabilization.” However, former Chairman Shin Myung-joo’s promise to pay the employees’ overdue wages was broken several times. The employees’ groans grew uncontrollably due to the unpaid wages, but former Chairman Shin even left for Paris, France. Then, earlier this month, former Chairman Shin, who was in France, sent a text message saying, “The payment of wages is delayed due to unavoidable circumstances,” once again breaking his promise to the employees. Immediately after receiving this message, Myung-joo Hospital employees expressed their anger, saying, “Is it right for the captain to empty the ship and go on a leisurely overseas business trip when the ship is sinking?”

This was not the only strange behavior of former Chairman Shin Myung-joo that increased the anger of employees. Even when employees were not receiving compensation for their labor, their credit card debts were overdue, and their credit ratings were dropping, former Chairman Shin continued to make ‘large donations’. Last month, he donated 1 ton of rice to Yongin City for the local underprivileged, and a month earlier in June, he donated 10 million won to his alma mater, Chungju High School, as a development fund. Employees sarcastically commented, “Since you forced employees to donate money, shouldn’t you also share the (Olympic) medals?”

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MBC News, Shin Myeong-ju suddenly ‘resigns from the position of chairman’

Former Chairman Shin, even though his employees’ salaries were overdue for over a year, regularly paid hundreds of millions of won in hospital rent to Barun Partners, a corporation of which he is the largest shareholder. According to the investigation, Myeongju Hospital paid 330 million won in rent to Barun Partners in May and June of this year, and 440 million won in July. Mr. Shin stated, “I did not personally take any of the profits generated by Barun Partners.” He also claimed, “I paid about 150 million won in rent per month, and the tax invoice showing 300-400 million won is different from the actual rent.”

The MBC reporting team waited for former Chairman Shin Myung-joo to return from France. When they finally contacted former Chairman Shin on the 6th to hear an explanation regarding the wage arrears report, former Chairman Shin said, “I have already told the (federation) office that I will resign as chairman.” In addition, after MBC’s first report was released, Chairman Shin released a statement saying, “Please look at shooting and the hospital separately,” and “The performance of our athletes should not be underestimated, and please look at the forest, not the trees.” Chairman Shin also added, “In the past two months, there have been many resignations from the hospital, so we are in a situation where we have to suddenly pay a large amount of retirement pay, and we will find a way to normalize the hospital, such as by selling off real estate.”

After former Chairman Shin stepped down from his position, on the 21st, all 31 directors of the Korea Shooting Federation resolved to resign, taking responsibility for the situation. The explanation is that “the board of directors, who failed to properly verify former Chairman Shin Myung-joo during her appointment, felt responsible and made this decision.” The Shooting Federation, which had achieved the best results ever and seemed to be on a path of flowers, ended up being operated by an acting director. The Olympic medalist prize money that former Chairman Shin had promised to pay using some of the appearance fee has disappeared.

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Ministry of Labor and Prosecutors’ Office Begin Investigation…Former Chairman Shin Myung-joo Remains Silent

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has launched an investigation into former Korea Shooting Federation President Shin Myung-joo for failing to pay his employees’ wages. In addition, the Ministry of Employment and Labor has sent an official letter to former President Shin Myung-joo asking for solutions to the unpaid wages and plans to liquidate assets in order to protect the employees’ rights, and is awaiting a response. A Ministry of Employment and Labor official stated, “We are looking into this case very seriously due to the significant scale of the unpaid wages, including the amount and number of employees.” The number of wage unpaid reports filed against former President Shin is currently approaching 400. Separately, the prosecution has filed a complaint against former President Shin for unpaid wages. However, the investigative authorities are adjusting the speed of the investigation because they need to consider protecting the rights of workers who have not received their wages.

One Myeongju Hospital employee confessed in a phone call with reporters, “I’ve already spent all the money I saved up, and the situation has reached its limit.” He added, “I’m so angry that I have to beg for the fair wages I deserve for my labor.” However, even at this moment, former Chairman Shin Myeongju has not given a clear answer as to when he will be able to pay all of the overdue wages to his employees.