(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Shin Jun-hee = Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korea Sports Council, attends the National Assembly audit of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held at the National Assembly on the 22nd and listens to questions from lawmakers. 2024.10.22 [email protected]
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Eui-jin = The Sports Ethics Center decided to request an investigation into Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korea Sports Council, who suspended the by-election for the president of the Korea Tennis Association last year on charges of obstruction of business.
According to the investigation report obtained by Yonhap News on the 7th through the office of Rep. Park Jeong-ha of the People Power Party, the Ethics Center determined that Chairman Lee Ki-heung used his position to interfere with the by-election for the head of the Tennis Association, and decided to request an investigation on the 25th of last month.
The Ethics Center, which has looked into this matter for about six months since the end of April when it decided to conduct an ex officio investigation, requested disciplinary action from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism along with requesting an investigation.
In addition, it was decided to impose a fine of up to 5 million won on Chairman Lee, saying he violated the provisions of the National Sports Promotion Act that stipulates the obligation to faithfully participate in the investigation by failing to respond to three requests for attendance.
The Tennis Association suspended the presidential by-election on October 26 last year, following instructions from the Sports Council.
The Tennis Association’s position at the time was that the Sports Association effectively ‘ordered’ the by-election to be suspended due to suspicions that one candidate had grounds for disqualification and that the Ethics Center was conducting various investigations against the Tennis Association.
This was a measure taken right after Chairman Lee directly mentioned the ‘grounds’ for suspending the election during the National Sports Council audit on the 24th of that month, saying that the candidates were being investigated by the Ethics Center.
However, the Ethics Center has never investigated these candidates.
It was confirmed that the Ethics Center judged that Chairman Lee intervened in the administration of a sports organization based on claims or abstract views that did not correspond to the facts.
Since the statement that the candidates are being investigated by the Ethics Center is itself false, there is no legitimate reason for the Sports Association to step in and stop the election.
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In addition, the Ethics Center concluded that even if there were problems with election procedures and operations, ordering a complete halt without requesting correction or reform was an excessive measure, and overall, Chairman Lee was found guilty of interfering with business through hierarchy and power. .
The Tennis Association, whose former president Jeong Hee-gyun resigned in September of last year, was unable to hold an election to elect a leader for a while due to an official letter requesting the suspension of the sports conference.
A by-election was held last June, and President Joo Won-hong took office and will lead the association until the end of the year for the remainder of the 28th president’s term and the next four-year term as the 29th president.
Rep. Park Jeong-ha said, “Chairman Lee Ki-heung’s decision to stop the Tennis Association’s by-election using false information and hierarchy and power without a clear legal basis eventually came back as a boomerang,” and added, “Chairman Lee is not running for a third term, but is making false statements and bad administration.” “You have to take legal responsibility for processing it,” he said.
Chairman Lee, who is about to end his second term this year after being elected in the 2016 Unified Sports Council election and becoming the leader, recently submitted materials for review regarding his bid for a third term to the Sports Fair Committee of the Sports Council.
In fact, it is interpreted that he has revealed his will to run for a third term.
The Sports Fair Committee, which first reviewed whether to approve Chairman Lee’s reappointment on the 4th, plans to reach a conclusion at the general meeting scheduled for the 12th based on the deliberation.
Report via KakaoTalk okjebo
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2024/11/07 20:00 Sent
