Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism suspends duties of Lee Gi-heung, president of Korean Sports Committee

[Anchor]

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has abruptly notified Lee Gi-heung, the president of the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee(KSOC), of his suspension from duty due to allegations of misconduct.

Lee, likely to seek a third term candidacy, now faces significant setbacks in his attempt for re-election due to this suspension.

Reporter Park Sun-woo has the details.

[Report]

Lee Gi-heung, president of the Korean Sports & Olympic Committee, has been placed under investigation for allegations of improper hiring, bribery, and embezzlement as a result of a government inquiry.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the relevant department, has suspended his duties while urging a swift investigation by the authorities.

This move increases pressure just one day before the Sports Fairness Committee is set to decide on whether to approve Lee's bid for a third term.

[Yu In-chon/Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism: "I believe that once the investigation begins and a thorough inquiry is conducted, many more irregularities will come to light."]

There are significant criticisms regarding the fairness of the re-election review, as the committee members appointed by Lee will be evaluating his re-election bid, leading to accusations of 'self-review.'

The KSOC's labor union and senior staff have also expressed their opposition to his re-election, and the suspension just before the review has put him in a critical situation.

Candidates running for the KSOC's presidency have pointed out that public trust in the organization has been severely undermined.

[Kang Tae-seon/President of Seoul Sports Council/Presidential Candidate for KSOC: "If the allegations are true, it is indeed an unfortunate situation. The KSOC, which should earn the trust of the public, has become a target of criticism."]

For Lee to run in the upcoming presidential election in January, the Sports Fairness Committee must approve his bid for a third term.

So, tomorrow's meeting is closely watched, as there is keen interest in whether the committee members will be able to make a fair and transparent judgment.

This is KBS News, Park Sun-woo.