AFP - South Korea's figure skating Olympic champion Kim Yu-Na on Wednesday accused her former coach Brian Orser of lying over the pair's split.

In a statement posted on her blog, Kim said Canadian coach Orser -- himself a two-time Olympic medallist -- was using the media to create controversy over the end to their professional relationship, which was announced Tuesday.

"A coach and a skater can part ways with each other for one reason or other... I am disappointed and hurt that media was used to announce our split and its details were unable to be kept only between us," she wrote.

"I can't really let people believe in lies and criticise innocent people."

Representatives of Kim and Orser had each accused the other on Tuesday of initiating the split.

Orser's agency IMG said that Kim's mother, who runs her agency AT Sports, told Orser on August 2 that he would no longer be retained to coach Kim.

"No reason was given for the sudden and unexpected decision," IMG said in a statement.

AT Sports said, however, that Orser ended the professional relationship after it became "uncomfortable" because of another skater's request that Orser coach her.

Under Orser's tutelage, Kim won gold medals at the 2009 World Championships and 2010 Winter Olympics.

In August 2010, Forbes magazine listed her as one of the highest-paid female athletes in the world, with annual earnings of 9.7 million dollars.