Korean Swimming Federation President Resigning Due to Corruption Claims

Photo Courtesy: Anja Johnson

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Korea Swimming Federation President Lee Ki-heung reportedly will resign as corruption charges continue to be levied against his organization according to Inside The Games.

Lee, 61, will be quitting the position he has held for six years. Lee, who served as the Chef de Mission for South Korea during the 1012 London Olympics, is hoping to find a replacement by the time the next round of Trials begins for South Korea on March 25.

After many sports federations were raided by the Korean government with claims of corruption and financial fraud, the Korean Olympic Committee has been working to merge with the Korea Council of Sport for All, so that only a single entity will control sports in the country going forward.

The Korean government has claimed embezzlement occurred within the swimming federation, stating that the federation had been falsifying documents for more funding, as well as syphoning off some of those funds before they went to the athletes who earned them.

There are also claims of nearly 230 million in won ($192,000) for bribes spanning more than a decade from February 2004 until April 2015. This money was reportedly for helping influence who was chosen to make the Korean national team.

One of these bribe allegations includes Tae Hwan Park’s former coach Noh Min-sang, who is alleged to have provided $75,000 in bribes between January 2009 and December 2010.

In sum, there is an estimated $2.9 million that has been allegedly stolen as part of all of this corruption.

Full Inside The Games article.

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