Chairman Lee Ki-heung submitted a reason for not attending pending questions at the National Assembly on the 11th...Park Jung-ha, secretary of national power"I can't admit the reason...Accusations such as perjury"

Nov 08, 2024

Lee Ki-heung, chairman of the Korean Sports and Tourism Committee, will not appear at the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the 11th.

At the time of the comprehensive audit of the committee on the 24th of last month, Chairman Lee issued a statement of absence and was absent due to his attendance at the business agreement ceremony for the establishment of the Namwon Youth Complex. Lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties voted to issue an accompanying order for Chairman Lee, but Chairman Lee did not appear at the audit letter, which lasted more than 1:30 a.m. on the 25th. In response to strong requests from ruling party secretaries Park Jung-ha and Jin Jong-oh, Chairman Jeon Jae-soo of the Culture and Sports Committee decided to propose a case of "request for witness attendance of pending questions" and to conduct a question of pending issues at a general meeting on the 11th.

Lee Ki-heung, chairman of the Korea Sports Council who attended the National Assembly

However, Lee plans to sit out again this time. According to the National Assembly's stylistic committee, Chairman Lee submitted a letter of reason for his absence to the administrative office of the National Assembly's stylistic committee on the afternoon of the 8th. Yoon Sung-wook, Secretary-General of the Korea Sports Council, expressed his intention to attend the World Olympic City Association Sports Summit (Lausanne, Switzerland, 11th-13th) and to attend overseas business trips for international sports organizations such as the IOC.

In an explanation of the reasons for the absence attached, Chairman Lee explained that "The IOC and the World Olympic City Union (WUOC) hold annual Smart Cities & Sports Summit for the National Olympic Committee, host cities, Olympic and sports officials to manage and revitalize Olympic heritage in both tangible and intangible ways."As a member of the IOC and chairman of the Heritage and Sustainability Subcommittee of the Coordination Committee for the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, I would like to participate in the above event to communicate with stakeholders and come up with new ways to utilize the Olympic heritage." "As the above event will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, we would like to hold in-depth discussions with officials from international sports organizations such as the IOC and the International Institute of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS) to host the 2036 Summer Olympics and develop Korean sports," he said, explaining the reason for his absence. "I ask for your understanding so that the Secretary-General can faithfully answer the agency's pending issues on behalf of the Chairman." he said.

People's Power Park Jung-ha, ruling party secretary at the Culture and Sports Committee

Lee Ki-heung, chairman of the Korea Sports Council, press conference

Trade union members of the Korea Sports Council are protesting against Chairman Lee Ki-heung's bid for a third term on the 3rd floor of the Olympic Hall in Bangi-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, ahead of a subcommittee meeting of the Sports Fair Committee on the 4th.

Park Jung-ha, a member of the People's Power Party and secretary of the ruling party, said, `I cannot admit Chairman Lee's reason for not attending" made the position clear. "I understand that it was a meeting attended by the deputy level until last year. It doesn't make sense and sees the sudden departure of the chairman as a deliberate avoidance. There was no process of visiting the ruling party secretary to explain, consulting in advance, or asking for understanding"If Chairman Lee does not appear on the 11th, the process of filing a complaint against perjury and non-attendance of the parliamentary audit will be carried out as scheduled."

Meanwhile, Chairman Lee Ki-heung submitted screening data to the Korea Sports Council's Sports Fair Committee late last month for a third consecutive term. The criteria for deliberation of candidates for more than three consecutive terms by the Sports Fair Commission are the cases where the contribution is clear as a result of quantifying and evaluating indicators such as financial contributions, performance at major international competitions, and group evaluation. Amid strong opposition from political circles and internal employees through labor unions, blinds and intranet, the Korea Sports and Fair Trade Commission completed the first screening of chairman Lee Ki-heung, president of the Korea Volleyball Association, and will decide whether he is eligible to run for the election at a general meeting on the 12th.

Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com

sky4us@sportschosun.com