A pawnshop in Taoyuan intends to take 2010 Asian Games taekwondo gold medalist Wei Chen-yang (魏辰洋) to court over a financial dispute, claiming that Wei owes the shop NT$200,000, but could not be reached.
The pawnbroker said he met Wei in 2014 when Wei wanted to pawn a watch for NT$300,000, and he later wished to pawn his gold medal because of an urgent need for money.
“The medal was actually worthless,” the pawnbroker said, adding that he had taken the medal and watch only because Wei had represented Taiwan and won.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Wei later redeemed the items and has returned several times, the pawnbroker said.
The owner said he also agreed to the loan because Wei had been as good as his word.
Wei on April 11 last year came to the pawnshop to borrow NT$200,000, saying that this was the last time, as he had finally found a stable job, the owner said.
However, after paying interest on the loan for three months, Wei from July last year became unreachable, he added.
The pawnbroker said he had contacted Wei’s place of employment, National Caotun Commercial and Vocational High School, which allegedly said that Wei after a few weeks left his post as taekwondo coach.
However, the school said that it had employed Wei from August last year to January, after which he applied for a position at the National Sports Training Center in Kaohsiung’s Zuoying District (左營).
The center on Thursday confirmed that Wei had been accepted as a coach on a trial basis and had reported to the center on Thursday last week.
Chinese Taipei Taekwondo Association deputy secretary-general Wei Jui-hsien (魏瑞賢), Wei Chen-yang’s father, said that the pawnshop had asked to see the medal after Wei Chen-yang was unable to make a payment, but did not return the medal afterward.
The pawnshop said that Wei Jui-hsien’s comments contradicted the promissory note Wei Chen-yang had signed, and it has already taken the issue to court.
Wei Jui-hsien said that the family is sincere in wishing to resolve the issue, but the pawnshop’s claims and the lawsuit have undermined his son’s work.
Additional reporting by Liao Lu-wei
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