'Weigh-In Disqualification and Missed Flight Controversies': Judo National Team Head Coach Jung Sung-sook Announces Intention to Resign

[Financial News] Jung Sung-sook, head coach of South Korea’s women’s national judo team, came under fire over a weigh-in disqualification at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and a controversy over a missed connection while traveling to the World Championships. She has now announced her intention to step down.
Coach Jung announced her intention to resign to reporters shortly after returning to South Korea via Incheon International Airport on the 13th, having completed the International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships and departed Baku, Azerbaijan.
The women’s national judo team has recently faced fierce criticism over repeated failures in managing its athletes. First, at the recent Asian Games, Jung Su-jin (Yongin University), who was set to compete in the women’s 48 kg category, was disqualified after failing a random weigh-in on the day of competition. Although Jung had passed the official weigh-in the day before, she lost her chance to compete after eating without being informed in time by the coaching staff that she had been selected for a random weigh-in that day. The controversy grew after the Games when Jung revealed on social media (SNS) that the coaching staff had given her incorrect instructions.
At the airport after returning to South Korea, Coach Jung bowed her head and said, “All responsibility lies with the coaching staff. I feel sorry and remorseful toward athlete Jung Su-jin.” However, she denied as untrue the athlete’s side’s claim of an attempt to quietly cover up the incident.
Another bewildering episode unfolded during the team’s trip to the World Championships. Coach Jung and four athletes missed a connecting flight at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), forcing them to wait for about nine hours and seriously disrupting efforts to manage the athletes’ condition just before the competition. It was initially reported that they had missed the flight because they were eating, but Coach Jung explained, “It wasn’t because of a meal; it was a mistake caused by miscalculating the time needed to get to the flight.”
The Korea Judo Association said, “Coach Jung has conveyed her intention to take responsibility for these events, and we plan to begin the relevant procedures once her formal resignation letter is submitted.” The association plans to convene its Performance Improvement Committee on the 16th to discuss processing Coach Jung’s resignation, disciplinary action against other members of the coaching staff and whether they will be reappointed, as well as a full investigation into Jung Su-jin’s weigh-in disqualification and follow-up measures.
Meanwhile, despite the series of controversies, the national judo team, including Lee Hyun-ji (Yongin University), who won gold in the women’s 78 kg-and-over category at this World Championships, completed its competition schedule and returned home safely that day.


[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter