Athletic President Lee Ki-heung eventually investigated for obstruction of justice
Athletic President Lee Ki-heung eventually investigated for obstruction of justice
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The president of the Korea Sports Federation, Lee Ki-heung, will face a police investigation for obstruction of justice for unfairly disrupting the tennis federation election.
According to an investigation report from the Sports Ethics Center, which was confirmed by the office of Representative Park Jung-ha of the National Assembly, the center decided to refer the case to the police because it believes that the president used his position to interfere with the tennis federation's by-election. The center also requested disciplinary action at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism level, which will be a major setback for the president, who is up for re-election for a third term on December 12.
The reason why the Ethics Center requested an investigation into Lee was because he suspended the Korea Tennis Association by-election in October last year for unexplained reasons. On October 24 last year, Lee stated in the National Audit that “three candidates running for the tennis association by-election are under investigation by the Sports Ethics Center, and the election cannot be held until the investigation is completed and called,” which turned out to be false as the Ethics Center never investigated the three candidates.
A month later, Lee, who was accused of perjury by the National Audit Service, reportedly continued to make false claims during a meeting with tennis association officials. 메이저사이트 According to the Ethics Center's investigation report, Lee received a report from his subordinates shortly after his remarks that the Ethics Center had not investigated the three candidates. Even after receiving the report, Lee continued to make false claims to tennis association officials, and when questioned by lawmakers at the National Audit Committee last month, he said, “I found out today that it was wrong,” and was caught in another perjury controversy.
The Ethics Center confirmed that it had determined that Lee had intervened in the administration of sports organizations based on claims or abstract views that did not meet the facts. As the statement that the candidates were under investigation by the Ethics Center was false, there was no legitimate reason for the Athletic Federation to intervene and suspend the election.
In addition, it was interpreted that it is more of a monopoly for the chairman of the sports governing body to order the affiliated sports organizations to suspend the election. The Ethics Center concluded that even if there were problems with the election process and operation, it was excessive to order a complete suspension without asking for correction or reform, and that overall, the chairman was guilty of interfering with the work through hierarchy and power.
The Sports Ethics Center had also charged Lee with abuse of authority in its original investigation report, but the review committee decided not to apply this charge because Lee is not a public official.
Lee was also fined up to 5 million won ($5,000). Lee had been requested to be investigated by the Sports Ethics Center for obstruction of justice and abuse of office, but he failed to comply with the request three times, violating the provisions of the National Sports Promotion Act, which stipulates the obligation to conduct investigations in good faith, and was fined up to 5 million won. According to the Ethics Center, this is the first time Lee has been fined for refusing an investigation.
Lee, who is also under police investigation for obstruction of justice, is reportedly scheduled to miss another meeting of the National Assembly's Committee on Culture, Sports, and Tourism on May 11. Lee missed the comprehensive audit on March 24 due to a sudden local event schedule, and is likely to miss the current affairs inquiry, which was announced earlier on March 11, citing a business trip, according to a MOC official.
Lee plans to be reviewed by the Sports Fairness Committee of the Korea Sports Council on Wednesday ahead of his third consecutive term as president. If he passes the review, he will be eligible to run for president in January next year. However, with Lee under police investigation for obstruction of justice and facing possible disciplinary action from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, it is unclear whether the Sports Fairness Commission will approve his reappointment.