President Li also congratulates "Korea's feat" and Kim Jae-yeol on winning the IOC Executive Committee Korea "Second in South Korea's History."

*This content was translated by AI.

Kim Jae-yeol, chairman of the International Skating Union (ISU) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was elected as an IOC executive member. It is the second time that a Korean has been elected to the IOC executive committee after the late former IOC Vice Chairman Kim Un-yong.

Kim Jae-yeol was elected as an IOC executive member on the 4th (Korea Standard Time) with 84 votes in favor of 100 valid votes (10 votes against and 6 votes against) in the 145th IOC General Assembly Executive Committee election held in Milan, Italy.

The IOC executive committee is the de facto supreme decision-making body that decides the main agenda of the IOC, including the management of the Olympic venue selection process. The IOC Executive Committee consists of 10 members, including four IOC presidents and four vice-chairmen, and Kim Jae-yeol. The term of office of the executive committee is four years and a second term is possible.

Kim Jae-yeol, who first became the chairman of the Korea Skating Union in 2011, served as an international sports administrator as well as at home, including the vice chairman of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, the vice chairman of the Korean Sports Council, the IOC Coordination Committee for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, and the ISU Executive Committee. In 2022, he was elected as the first non-European president of the ISU, and the following year, he was elected as the 12th Korean IOC member, and this time he became the second Korean ICO executive committee member.

In response to the news of Kim Jae-yeol's election as an IOC executive member, President Lee Jae-myung also celebrated on Facebook, saying, "It is very meaningful in that the Republic of Korea can play a more leading role at the center of international sports governance beyond individual honor."

President Lee said, "The good news came ahead of the opening of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics," adding, "Chairman Kim Jae-yeol, the only member of the IOC in Korea, has been elected as an executive member who decides the core policies of the IOC. He is the second Korean IOC executive since the late former IOC Vice Chairman Kim Un-yong, who served as the first Korean IOC executive member in 1988, and described him as a "pleasure."

"The rich experience and excellent leadership of (Kim Jae-yeol) will be a strong foundation for designing and leading the future of the Olympic movement," President Lee said. "We hope that international cooperation through sports will be further expanded based on the values of fairness, transparency, peace and solidarity." The government will also actively support sports diplomacy and contribute to the international community as a responsible partner," he added.

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*This content was translated by AI.