The prison sentence of former South Korean coach Cho Jae-beom, who physically assaulted Olympic short track speed skater Shim Suk-hee, has been extended from 10 to 18 months ©Getty Images

An appeals court has extended the prison sentence of former South Korean coach Cho Jae-beom, who has been convicted of assaulting athletes such as Olympic short track speed skating champion Shim Suk-hee.

Cho had initially been sentenced to 10 months in prison in September, having been found guilty of physically assaulting four athletes between 2011 and 2018.

This included Shim, who won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in the 3,000 metres relay.

Cho's sentence has now been extended to 18 months, following an appeal hearing which Shim testified at. 

"The defendant left young victims with indelible scars from his verbal and physical violence," the appeals court at the Suwon High Court said in the ruling, as reported by The Korea Times. 

"His claim that he used violence to encourage athletes during training is unacceptable.

"In addition, Cho once had an indictment suspended over an earlier assault charge in 2012, but continued to use violence against his athletes without any hint of contrition."

South Korea's Shim Suk-hee, who has accused former coach Cho Jae-beom of sexually and physically assaulting her, is Olympic champion in the 3,000m relay short track speed skating event ©Getty Images
South Korea's Shim Suk-hee, who has accused former coach Cho Jae-beom of sexually and physically assaulting her, is Olympic champion in the 3,000m relay short track speed skating event ©Getty Images

A separate investigation is being made into sexual assault allegations Shim has made against Cho.

Shim, who is 22-years-old, made these allegations last month, accusing Cho of raping and sexually molesting her multiple times since 2014. 

In the midst of these allegations, the South Korean Government has announced it will revise its laws regarding sexual assault in sport as soon as possible.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea will also conduct a full review into sexual violence and other human rights violations in the sporting community.