South Korea has become the 12th member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Kim Jae-yeol, President of the International Ice Skating Union (ISU) and President of Samsung Global Research, is the newest member of the IOC.
The IOC held its 141st Session on Sunday in Mumbai, India, and elected eight new members, including Kim.
Kim was nominated for election to the IOC by the IOC Executive Board on March 9, and her election was confirmed by the General Assembly, the final approval process.
Kim easily won the majority of the 75 IOC members who voted at the Session, with 72 votes in favor, one against and two abstentions.
Kim becomes the 12th South Korean to be elected to the IOC.
The second son-in-law of the late former Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee and husband of Samsung Welfare Foundation Chairman Lee Seo-hyun, Kim has long been a favorite to become a South Korean IOC member. 온라인카지노
He became the 28th president of the Korean Ice Sports Federation in 2011 after serving as the federation’s international vice president in 2010.
Kim, who served as vice president of the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee and IOC Coordination Commissioner for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, became the first non-European to be elected president of the International Ice Skating Union (ISU) last June.
Kim became an IOC member as a representative of the International Federation (IF).
The 115-member IOC is made up of individuals (up to 70), IF representatives, National Olympic Committee (NOC) representatives and athlete members (up to 15 each).
The President of the IOC is known as the “President of Sport,” who has the power to decide on key IOC issues, including the selection of Olympic venues.
Kim and the eight other elected members of the Session bring the total number of IOC members to 107.
In addition to Kim, the number of active South Korean IOC members increased to three, including Korean Sports Minister Lee Ki-heung and Athletes’ Commissioner Yoo Seung-min.
Seven countries have more than three IOC members: France (four), South Korea, China, Japan, Italy, Sweden and Germany (three or more).
Kim’s appointment provides some breathing room for South Korea’s sports diplomacy, given that Yoo’s term will last until the Paris Olympics next August and Lee’s until 2025, when he turns 70 under the Olympic Charter.
Park In-bee, the “golf queen” who was recently named South Korea’s newest IOC candidate, is eyeing the IOC election in Paris.