Suspended Olympic committee head Lee Kee-heung declares bid for 3rd term, rejects misconduct charges

The incumbent South Korean Olympic chief Lee Kee-heung announced Monday he will run for a third term, while rejecting misconduct allegations leveled against him by the government that led to his suspension last month.

Lee, 69, has been at the helm of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) since 2016. He will be running in the Jan. 14, 2025, election against seven candidates, with a quartet of those opponents currently in talks for fielding a unified, anti-Lee candidate.

Lee was suspended by the sports ministry on Nov. 11, a day after a government ethics team accused him of a series of misconduct issues, including illicit hiring at the main Olympic training center and misappropriation of funds, and sought police investigation.

Lee’s request for an injunction to halt the suspension was dismissed by the Seoul Administrative Court on Dec. 13. Police and prosecutors have raided the Jincheon National Training Center in Jincheon, some 85 kilometers south of Seoul, and KSOC headquarters in the capital city in their investigation into Lee’s alleged misconduct.

“I was prepared to leave after serving two terms. But as you are well aware, the KSOC is faced with tremendous challenges. I decided it would be irresponsible for me to ignore what’s going on,” Lee said. “We’ve faced investigation from the sports ministry, the government inspection team, police and prosecution. And I felt it would be too irresponsible to just leave here as if nothing had happened. I also decided that I would be admitting to these charges if I chose to simply step aside. I’ve been pushed into a corner with no room to escape.”

Lee said he had met with all living former KSOC presidents and leaders of regional sports associations over the past two weeks before making up his mind about pursuing a third term.

“I’ve done everything I could have done in sports administration. I can’t really ask for more,” Lee said. “But I’ve always wanted to give back to our sportspeople for all the support they’ve given me over the years.”

Prior to taking questions during his 75-minute press conference, Lee spent the first half hour rejecting allegations leveled against him and claiming innocence.

Lee has been accused of ordering his subordinates to relax job requirements for a position at the Jincheon National Training Center so that a friend of his daughter’s could be hired, and of replacing an official who opposed Lee’s hiring plan.

Government inspectors have also charged that Lee allegedly distributed sponsored goods, including mobile phones, shoes and sunglasses, to his friends and acquaintances without keeping proper records.

Lee also faces allegations of having approved a plan to ask the head of a national sports governing body to pay for equipment provided to South Korean Olympic athletes, worth some 80 million won (US$55,080). The person who made the payment on the KSOC’s behalf was a longtime associate of Lee’s and had expressed an interest in securing a key position with South Korea’s delegation to the Paris Olympics. The government inspectors said the person ended up getting the job he wanted.

Lee fired shots at the sports ministry for suspending him based on these charges, saying the move is “wrong.”

“I am serving in an elected position. I was not appointed by the sports minister. In order to suspend me, KSOC delegates have to come to an agreement on that through a general meeting,” Lee said. “And I must have been subject to a proper legal process, whether it’s indictment, arrest or trial. But the ministry only acted on suspicions. We have the principle of the presumption of innocence in our country. I think it’s wrong to suspend me based only on suspicions.”

Asked why he thought the government has been coming down hard on him, Lee said with an exasperated grin: “I really have no idea. That’s all I can say.”

“I’ve been wondering what I could have done so wrong that they are trying to demonize me,” Lee said. “My wife and my children are frustrated. But I’ve been telling them that justice will prevail and things will fall into place in due time.”

Lee was elected as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2019, in his capacity as head of his country’s Olympic committee. This means Lee will lose his IOC membership if he is not reelected as KSOC president.

The age limit for IOC members is set at 70 for those elected after December 1999, and the IOC can grant a one-time extension of the term, for a maximum of four years, upon recommendation by its Executive Board.

Lee, who turns 70 in January 2025, was passed over for such consideration at the most recent Executive Board meeting earlier this month.

However, Lee claimed Monday that he will still be able to apply for the extension next year if he is reelected as KSOC president. According to Lee, the Executive Board will then review his case and make its recommendation, with the final decision to be made at the IOC Session in early 2026 during the Winter Olympics in Italy.

In announcing his bid, Lee said he will complete changes in South Korean sports by ensuring financial independence for the KSOC, achieving balanced growth for elite sports and sports for all, and collaborating closely with the government through transparent governance.

The race for the top KSOC job includes former IOC member and 2004 Olympic table tennis champion Ryu Seung-min and ex-Incheon Mayor Ahn Sang-soo.

Ryu, Ahn, sports science professor and administrator Kang Shin-wook and ex-Korea Wushu Association President Park Chang-beom came to an agreement last week on unifying their candidacies.

Of the three remaining candidates, Oh Ju-young, former president of the Korea Sepaktakraw Association, has said he would not join their effort because he wanted to preserve diversity and the spirit of competition in the election.

Kang Tae-sun, head of the Seoul Sports Council, has said he agreed with the idea of fielding a single candidate in principle. Kim Yong-ju, former secretary general of the Gangwon Sports Council, has been noncommittal.