Suspended Korean Olympic chief cleared to run for third term

Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung has been granted permission to run for a third term by his own oragnization's fair play commission despite being suspended by the Sports Ministry a day earlier for alleged misconduct.

Lee Kee-heung, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC), listens to a question at a parliamentary audit held on Oct. 22. [YONHAP]

Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung has been granted permission to run for a third term by his own oragnization's fair play commission despite being suspended by the Sports Ministry a day earlier for alleged misconduct.

The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee’s (KSOC) Commission for Fair Play in Sport approved Lee’s bid to run for a third term as president of the committee.

Lee was first elected as KSOC president in September 2016 and reappointed in 2021. Under KSOC rules, a president can only run for a third term if approved by the commission.

The fair play commission’s decision comes just a day after the Sports Ministry suspended Lee for alleged misconduct. According to reports, Lee applied for a court injunction against the suspension on Tuesday.

The commission’s criteria for determining whether Lee was fit to run for a third term included judging his integrity in operating the organization, ethical standards and handling of finances.

The ministry announced on Monday evening that Lee had been suspended as president of KSOC. That announcement came a day after the ethics inspection team of the Office for Government Policy Coordination said it would ask police to investigate Lee and other officials for alleged improper conduct, illicit hiring practices and misappropriation of funds.

Protesters call for Lee Kee-heung to be banned from running for a third term as Korean Sport and Olympic Committee president outside the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee building in southern Seoul. [NEWS1]

The office’s inspection team launched a monthlong on-site investigation beginning Oct. 8, dispatching six investigators after receiving reports of alleged misconduct within KSOC.

According to the team, Lee is alleged to have improperly influenced the hiring of his daughter’s college friend for a position at the Jincheon National Training Center in North Chungcheong. Investigations revealed that Lee provided a resume to a high-ranking training center official and instructed several times that the hiring qualifications be altered, removing requirements such as national team experience and a Level Two professional sports instructor certification.

Lee allegedly disregarded internal recommendations for a salary reduction when adjusting qualifications and replaced the hiring department head who opposed these adjustments. The position was publicly opened with relaxed qualifications on Aug. 9, 2022, and a friend of Lee's daughter was ultimately hired.

The inspection team additionally obtained statements indicating that, with Lee’s approval, a chairman of a sports association was asked to cover expenses for nutrition supplements and uniforms for athletes.

According to these statements, the chairman, a long-time associate of Lee's, had expressed interest in a key position related to the Paris Olympics earlier this year. The chairman was eventually appointed to his desired position and reportedly covered approximately 80 million won ($57,000) in related expenses.

The inspection team also flagged potential embezzlement, noting that the KSOC purchased Olympic delegation tickets worth 187 million won in advance, bypassing procedures, and failed to refund tickets worth around 32 million won that were no longer needed.

A high-ranking official at the National Training Center is also under investigation for allegedly contacting sponsors directly to acquire bedding sets valued at around 47 million won, which he kept in a separate storage area for personal use.

The inspection team also found individual breaches of KSOC regulations, including Lee’s inappropriate remarks, improper use of work expenses and policy violations.

The inspection team further confirmed issues, such as budget wastage due to the sudden change in venue for the Paris Olympics delegation disbandment ceremony, the use of corporate credit cards outside of work locations without proper approvals and the prepayment of work expenses through falsified documentation, revealing operational problems within the KSOC.

Lee Kee-heung, president of the Korean Sport and Olympic Committee (KSOC), listens to a question at a parliamentary audit held on Oct. 22. [NEWS1]

The commission’s decision to permit Lee to run for a third term may have been a reaction to perceived government interference in the operation of the committee.

The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Charter specifically states that national Olympic committees must remain autonomous and resist any outside influence, including “political, legal, religious or economic pressures.”

Lee is also a member of the IOC, a position that is dependent on him remaining in his current position.

Even if Lee remains as president, he will have to step down from the IOC at the end of next year anyway as the committee’s rules do not allow members to hold their position past the end of the year in which they turn 70. Lee turns 70 in January next year.

BY JIM BULLEY, KIM MIN-YOUNG [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]