Ryu Seung-min elected KSOC President

Ryu Seung-min celebrates his victory in the election for President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at the Olympic Hall inside Olympic Park in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2025. (Yonhap)
Ryu Seung-min celebrates his victory in the election for President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee at the Olympic Hall inside Olympic Park in Seoul on Jan. 14, 2025. (Yonhap)

 

Seoul, Korea, January 15, 2025: Former Olympic table tennis champion Ryu Seung-min was elected President of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee on Tuesday, January 14.

 

In what Yonhap News described as a monumental upset, Ryu earned 417 votes from 1,209 voters to become the new president of the KSOC, denying incumbent Lee Kee-heung a third term. Lee finished in second place among six candidates with 379 votes.

 

Ryu, 42, won the men's singles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In his post-athletic career, Ryu served as a member of the International Olympic Committee from 2016 to 2024 and president of the Korea Table Tennis Association.

 

He entered the Olympic Council of Asia in 2019 and is Vice Chair of the OCA International Relations Committee and a member of the OCA Coordination Committee, and a former Chair of the OCA Entourage Committee.

 

With Lee facing a series of misconduct allegations, Ryu built his campaign around restoring more transparency to South Korean sports.

 

Acknowledging his victory, Ryu said he felt "a huge sense of responsibility."

 

"I know there are so many pressing issues to address in sports today, and I won't be able to do it alone," Ryu said. 

 

"I think people in sports all have to come together to make it possible. I will try my best to bring everyone together."