Will Yoo Seung Min be able to overcome the 'self-exciting wall' on the back of the desire for generational change
Will Yoo Seung Min be able to overcome the 'self-exciting wall' on the back of the desire for generational change
Blog Article
Who will be the "sports president" who will lead the sport starting from the new year? The 42nd presidential election will determine the fate of Korean sports for four years. The race is hot enough with six candidates registered for the upcoming election, which is the largest number ever. They include current chairman Lee Ki-heung, who is running for a third term, former secretary-general of the Gangwon Provincial Sports Council Kim Yong-joo, former president of the Korea Table Tennis Association Kang Yoo Seung Min, Seoul City Sports Council President and BYN Black Yak Group Chairman Kang Tae-sun, former president of the Korea Sepak Takraw Association Oh Joo-young, and honorary professor Kang Shin-wook at Dankook University. However, Park Chang-beom, former president of the Korea Women's Association, declared his support for Kang, and Ahn Sang-soo, former mayor of Incheon City, did not register as a candidate.
Again, Chairman Lee Ki-heung is the most prominent candidate in this election. Having won in both previous elections, Chairman Lee is considered a strong candidate for election again this time. Despite various controversies, most predict that around 40 percent of the so-called "concrete supporters" Lee has been building for eight years will be elected.
For this reason, attention was focusing on whether the anti-Lee Hoi-heung front would be unified or not. In the multilateral structure, it is not easy for any candidate to surpass Lee. To this end, four candidates -- Yoo, Kang, Park, and Ahn -- gathered on Dec. 17 to discuss unification of the two sides. On Dec. 24, however, Kang's side held a second meeting excluding Yoo.
Unite...Lee Gi-heung, you're going to get a lot of money again
In the 40th and 41st presidential elections, Lee also benefited significantly from the failure of the contenders to unify their candidates. In 2016, Lee beat then Dankook University President Jang Ho-sung (213 votes), Olympic weightlifting gold medalist Jeon Byeong-kwan of Kyung Hee University (189 votes), and female table tennis legend Lee Ailesa who achieved the "Miracle of Sarajevo" (171 votes). Four years later, Lee won 46.4 percent of the vote, beating 25.7 percent of Professor Kang Shin-wook, 21.43 percent of the vote, and Yoo Joon-sang of 6.53 percent. Many said that Lee did not budge on the demand for unification of Lee Ailesa and Lee Jong-geol.
The reason why the unification failed was because of the idea that unification should be made around oneself. "I agreed with Chairman Kang Tae-sun and Professor Kang Shin-wook that the sports world should change, but there were differences in the unification method," former chairman Yoo Seung Min said at a press conference for candidate registration. "I proposed a poll method, but it was not accepted in the opinions of 'You have something to do because you are young, and you can't do it because you are young."
However, there is still room. "For Korean sports, it would be a good idea to bring them together if multiple people agree," Kang said in an interview in December last year. "We will not let go of unification until the day before the vote."
Given the current situation, however, chances are high that Lee will be elected again. However, he is taking what he calls "judicial risks." In November last year, the government's joint inspection team for public service at the Cabinet Office announced the results of its inspection of irregularities at the sports association, and requested police to investigate eight people including Lee on charges of obstruction of business, receipt of money and valuables, and embezzlement and defiance. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism suspended Lee from his duties. Lee immediately filed a lawsuit for cancellation of his suspension and an injunction for suspension of his execution, but was not cited. This is why the possibility of another election is raised based on the results of the investigation into Lee.
Chairman Kang held an emergency conference on December 30 last year and raised suspicions of corruption against Chairman Lee. Suspicions include that he chose a high school junior who received the lowest score in the bidding for the management service of Jincheon National Team in North Chungcheong Province, illegally hired his daughter's college classmate, and created a position with an annual salary of more than 100 million won to take care of his aides. Chairman Lee strongly protested, saying, "The part that Chairman Kang raised was also on TV Chosun the previous day, but it was explained with no charges in the past," and added, "Since it is a campaign period, we will take legal action after the election."
For this reason, some in the sports community are cautiously predicting that other results will come out this time. As mentioned earlier, judicial risks are constantly being raised and Chairman Lee has sharply opposed the government, raising anxiety in the sports community.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has been issuing a budget of 420 billion won per year to the sports association, but next year, 41.6 billion won of the budget for daily sports will be sent directly to local governments to distribute to provincial and provincial sports associations. With the so-called "sports association passing," the intention is to weaken Chairman Lee's position by pressuring the sports association through budget allocation. Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Yoo In-chon has made remarks several times suggesting that Chairman Lee will block his third term, and Chairman Lee showed an uncomfortable atmosphere, boycotting the welcoming party for the Paris Olympics athletes organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Chairman Lee also declared a bombshell, saying, "A high-ranking government official made remarks urging him not to run for the presidential election while proposing another high-ranking position." 안전놀이터
An official from a sports organization said, "Korea's sports is bound to be operated with the government's budget, and if the head of the sports association fights with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the affiliated organizations will be anxious," adding, "Chairman Lee used to improve irrationalities against the government, but recently, he feels like he is only working for his third term." In January last year, more than 1 billion won was spent on the "2024 Korean Sports Competition," where more than 15,000 athletes gathered, including Thomas Bach, chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and some pointed out that Chairman Lee was trying to show off his power in the competition for supremacy between the government and the sports world.
"Older sportsmen Disillusioned with Political Fight"
There are many opinions that there should be a young wind in the sports world at this time. In the reality of Korean sports, which has a strict hierarchy, there are voices that new figures should be made, centering on young sportsmen who are fed up with the situation in which experienced figures have been in charge of important posts in each group. "There are many sportsmen who are disillusioned with the so-called political fights of the elderly," an official of an sports organization said. "I hope there will be a young chairman who can really devote himself to Korean sports regardless of his power."
Yoo Seung Min, who was born in 1982, is emerging as a jockey in his 40s. As a gold medalist in men's singles table tennis at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Yoo is said to have extensive experience in fieldwork and administration as he served as an athlete member of the IOC, chairman of the Table Tennis Association and chairman of the International Sports Strategy Committee. "I don't think any candidate has more experience than me who has been on the field for 35 years as an athlete since the age of eight," Yoo said, expressing his confidence as a working candidate.
Chairman Kang Tae-sun is an entrepreneur-turned-capable chairman who makes money. "The chairman may contribute to the fund with the support of the government, but he also needs to earn sports associations for budget independence," Kang said. "We need to take Korean sports to the next level in terms of industry by hosting the 2036 Seoul Olympics."
Professor Kang Shin-wook said, "I have been working hard to lay the groundwork for the past four years since I took the second place in the 41st presidential election," vowing to avenge Lee's rise. Kim Yong-joo, the former chief of staff, is armed with a "master of sports administration," while Oh Joo-young, the former chairman, is determined to fight against Lee with the spirit of the youngest candidate. Will Lee become the next leader of sports in Korea? More than 2,300 sportsmen will vote on January 14 to become the next leader of sports in Korea.