Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, has officially announced a bid for a third term.
On the 23rd, President Lee held a press conference at the Olympic Parktel in Songpa-gu, Seoul, announcing the intention to run in the 42nd presidential election scheduled for Jan. 14 next year.
After becoming the head through the 2016 unified sports association election, President Lee, who is approaching the end of a second term, is aiming for a third term.
Amid criticism for 'privatizing' the sports association, President Lee has been in conflict with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism over sports policies. While there had been speculation about a third term bid, an official announcement was made only that day.
President Lee is under 'all-out pressure' from the government.
In November, the Government Policy Coordination Office's joint public service inspection team announced the results of an examination into irregularities within the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee. Eight individuals, including President Lee, were referred for investigation on charges of obstruction of business, bribery, embezzlement, and breach of trust.
Amid demands for resignation from both within and outside the sports association, President Lee requested an assessment for candidacy from the sports association's Sports Fair Commission, which was approved on the 12th of last month. On the 26th of last month, Lee submitted a declaration of intention to register as a candidate, advancing the process for a third term bid.
President Lee, who mentioned originally planning to conclude with a second term, explained, 'The sports association is facing internal and external challenges, which I thought would be irresponsible to ignore. In a situation where all South Korean power agencies are investigating the sports association, I felt I couldn't act as though nothing happened and decided it needed to be sorted out.'
He also remarked, 'Isn't this excessive? To put it colloquially, it seems they are going too far,' adding, 'If I just step down from here, I thought it would mean acknowledging everything.'
At the press conference, President Lee cited the successful hosting of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and this year's Gangwon Winter Youth Olympic Games, as well as improvements in working conditions for sports organization staff and physical education instructors, as his achievements during the term.
Regarding points raised by the inspection team of the Government Policy Coordination Office, Lee reiterated existing positions, refuting them one by one, and emphasized, 'In any case, I have no personal interest,' and argued that the suspension by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is unjust.
In this election, President Lee introduced the slogan, 'We will achieve change in South Korean sports with sports people.'
He expressed an ambition to lead changes in the sports world around three pillars: 'Independence,' 'Optimization,' and 'Collaboration.'
Meanwhile, Kang Sin-wook, an honorary professor at Dankook University; Yoo Seung-min, former president of the Korean Table Tennis Association; Kang Tae-sun, president of the Seoul Sports Council; Park Chang-beom, former president of the Korean Wushu Association; An Sang-soo, former mayor of Incheon; Kim Yong-joo, former Secretary-General of the Gangwon-do Sports Council; and Oh Joo-young, former president of the Korean Sepaktakraw Association, have expressed their intention to run.
Among them, Professor Kang, former President Yoo, former President Park, and former Mayor An began discussions on forming a single candidate on the 17th. Discussions are ongoing, with a meeting held on the 22nd attended by a representative of President Kang Tae-sun instead of former President Yoo.
The candidate registration period for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee presidential election is from the 24th to the 25th.