Woman’s Claims of Inappropriate Gym Trainer Behavior – Why No Charges?

[iNews24, Reporter Dong Hyun Kim] A woman who was receiving personal training at a gym filed a sexual harassment complaint against her trainer. However, the police and prosecution dismissed the case as “clear of suspicion.”

On the 23rd, a woman who claimed to have been sexually harassed by a trainer appeared on the CBS Radio Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show.

She explained the situation then: “It was my first lesson, and we were doing a body shape evaluation, but there was no prior notification or consent about the touching.”

She continued, “He started touching me all over without hesitation as soon as we started. I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable,” and said, “While I was making a move where I lifted one leg, he grabbed my buttocks with his entire palm and started kneading it.”

When she was asked, “Do you always touch like this?” the trainer reportedly responded, “It’s to check if you’re putting strength into your buttocks.”

Supporting her claim, the gym’s CCTV footage also captured the trainer grasping her waist and pelvis, then moving to the other side to grab her buttocks.

Despite her filing a complaint against the trainer, both the police and prosecution dismissed the case as clear of charges, citing reasons such as there were no sexually humiliating remarks, physical contact was inevitable in personal training, making it difficult to see the intent, the gym had an open space, there was similar physical contact with other members.

She expressed her frustration, saying, “I can’t accept the result. Is it okay to grope the chest to check the chest muscles? Just because it’s an open space with people around doesn’t mean I don’t feel humiliated.”

Also, she emphasized, “I found a comment saying ‘she demanded 300 million won ($252,000) as a settlement,’ but that’s not true. I didn’t even request a refund, let alone demand it.”

Finally, she said, “I’m in a difficult mental state right now. It’s very painful, but if I give up here, similar things will happen again in the future. I’m going to see this through to the end,” and revealed that she is in the process of appealing.

Famous trainer Choi Sung-jo appeared on the same radio show and pointed out, “Usually, general trainers try to minimize contact by checking with their fingertips. Even if their styles differ, behaving in a way that makes someone uncomfortable is wrong.”