South Korean police launch corrupt sports investigation
News on 8 Sep 2015
News on 8 Sep 2015
The South Korean police have launched an investigation into match-fixing and illegal gambling that involves more than two dozen current and former sportsmen, mostly basketball and judo players, the Agence France Presse news agency reports.
The probe was triggered by alleged game-rigging in basketball which occurred earlier this year and involved a professional player identified only by the ubiquitous Korean family name Kim, a police spokesman said.
“Twenty-four other current and retired players – 11 in basketball, 12 in judo and one in wrestling – are also being investigated for alleged gambling on sports fixtures using illegal Internet betting sites,” a police statement revealed.
The wagers ranged from a million won to hundreds of millions of won.
AFP reports that professional sports in South Korea have been rocked by a series of scandals in recent years, touching football, volleyball, basketball and motorboat racing.
In 2011, prosecutors charged 57 people – 46 current and former players and 11 criminal gang members and bookmakers – with fixing the results of 15 matches in the professional football K-League.
