An allegation has surfaced that the Korea Badminton Association forcibly mobilized players, including 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist An Seyoung, as promotional models for their sponsors multiple times without compensation. On the 24th, Jeong Yeonwook, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, stated in a press release that the association effectively forced An Seyoung and other players to participate in sponsor advertisements without any appearance fees or consent.
It was revealed that while signing a sponsorship contract with Yonex, the association included a condition that players must participate in promotional shoots without pay for 14 days. According to Jeong, based on this contract, players were pressured to appear in photo shoots, advertisements, and promotional events for the company. It was reported that not only the adult national team but even players under 13 were recruited for sponsor promotions.
An Seyoung herself was called upon to participate in three photo shoots during the World Championships and had to attend a sponsor’s promotional event after the Japan Open, all without receiving any fees. Last year, 20 players who competed in the Hangzhou Asian Games and 11 this year in the Paris Olympics were also found to have participated in unpaid promotional activities for Yonex. No modeling or appearance fees were provided.
Jeong criticized this practice, stating that it was essentially forced labor to use national representatives for the association’s profit. He noted that while the association claims there is no legal basis to enforce this, they use their sponsorship contract with Yonex as leverage to compel players into unpaid appearances. He emphasized that “athletes are not slaves to be exploited for free by the association” and called for improvements to these practices.