Jeong Seon-min (51), chief assistant coach of Bucheon Hana Bank's women's basketball team and a former head coach of the women's national team, was found in a club investigation to have made an inappropriate sexual remark to a player. The remark was made at a public event, and the player was reportedly deeply shocked. After the controversy broke, Coach Jeong expressed her intention to resign to the club.

An official well acquainted with women's basketball affairs said on the 28th, “I understand that Hana Bank coach Jeong Seon-min made an inappropriate remark to a player at an official club event.”

According to reporting by Sports Kyunghyang, the remark was made at the club's season-closing banquet on the 16th. Hana Bank finished second in the 2025~2026 regular season at 20 wins and 10 losses, then fell to Yongin Samsung Life 1-3 in the playoffs to end the season on the 15th. The next day, a season-ending event was held at the club dormitory cafeteria with the squad, coaching staff, and club employees in attendance.

According to the club's investigation, Coach Jeong made at the event an inappropriate remark that could cause sexual humiliation to a player. The player, in her early twenties, was reportedly severely traumatized by hearing such words in a public setting.

A Hana Bank official explained, “After belatedly hearing about the situation from the player and conducting an internal investigation, we confirmed that Coach Jeong made an inappropriate remark,” and added, “Afterward, Coach Jeong conveyed to the club her intention to resign.”

It was also reported that the investigation found additional indications that during the season Coach Jeong had made sexually inappropriate remarks to the same player. The club said that after the investigation, it separated Coach Jeong and the player to protect the player and has been taking protective measures, including arranging professional counseling.

Coach Jeong is said to have later apologized directly to the player. However, given that the controversy involves inappropriate remarks by a leader who represented Korean women's basketball, the repercussions are expected to be significant. Multiple attempts were made to reach Coach Jeong for comment regarding this matter, but contact was not made.

Coach Jeong is a former star player who represents Korean women's basketball. During her playing days, she was named Finals MVP once, regular-season MVP seven times, and to the Best Five 14 times in the women's professional league, and in 2003 she made history as the first Korean player to advance to the WNBA.

After retiring in 2012, she coached at her former teams Hana Bank and Incheon Shinhan Bank, and served as head coach of the women's national team from 2021 to 2023. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, she led the national team to a bronze medal. In March of last year, she returned as Hana Bank's chief assistant coach and joined head coach Lee Sang-beom in the team's rebuilding effort.

After finishing last in the 2024~2025 season, Hana Bank hired head coach Lee Sang-beom and chief assistant coach Jeong Seon-min, and this season it rebounded to finish second in the regular season. However, controversy involving the coaching staff erupted immediately after the season ended, placing a considerable burden on club operations. The Hana Bank club stated, “To prevent a recurrence, we will strengthen education for the coaching staff and operate the player protection system more rigorously.”