Olympic committee chief elected

[Anchor]

Former Korea Table Tennis Association President Ryu Seung-min has caused a major upset by being elected as the chair of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC), defeating current president Lee Kee-heung, who was aiming for a third term.

Contrary to expectations that Lee Kee-heung's support base would be solid, the sports community has chosen change.

Reporter Heo Sol-ji has the details.

[Report]

The election for the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee chair saw the most candidates ever with six contenders.

Out of 2,244 eligible voters, 1,209 participated in the voting, which lasted for 150 minutes, and the choice of the sports community was Ryu Seung-min, the former table tennis association president.

[Kim Dae-nyeon/KSOC Election Operations Chairman: "I hereby declare candidate number 3, Ryu Seung-min, as the elected candidate!"]

Ryu Seung-min received 34.5% of the votes.

He won by just 38 votes over Lee Kee-heung, becoming the youngest person ever elected to the position.

Clenching his fist in celebration of his victory, Ryu's first words were about responsibility.

[Ryu Seung-min/KSOC Chair-elect: "Rather than feeling good, I feel a great sense of responsibility. Sports has too many pressing issues."]

A gold medalist at the 2004 Athens Olympics, former president of the Korea Table Tennis Association, and IOC athlete committee member, Ryu has now ascended to the chair of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee.

In a situation where significant changes in the sports community, such as An Se-young's recent revelations, have become a hot topic, it is interpreted that he received broad support from young athletes who desire innovation.

[Ryu Seung-min/KSOC Chair-elect: "I believe the desire for change among sports people was the strongest. I will work hard from now on to respond to that."]

On the other hand, Lee Kee-heung faced negative public opinion and unresolved issues related to investigations into misconduct, resulting in his failure to secure a third term.

Ryu has toppled the solid Lee Kee-heung regime.

He now faces significant challenges, including addressing various allegations from his time as president of the table tennis association, which are currently under investigation by the Sports Ethics Center, and restoring relations with the government, among other urgent issues in the sports community.

This is KBS News, Heo Sol-ji.