Park Yong-sung Will Not Seek Re-Election as Korean Olympic Committee Chairman

Park Yong-sung, chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC), said in a statement that he will not seek a second term in an election scheduled for Feb. 22, saying he has accomplished everything he had set out to do as the country’s highest-ranked sports official.

Park, 72, had been the KOC head since 2009. He had also been a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the chairman of the International Judo Federation (IJF).

“I have been the head of our national Olympic Committee, the chairman of the IJF, and a member of the IOC,” Park said. “For a sports administrator, there can be no greater glory.”

Under Park’s watch, South Korea put on record performances in international competitions. At the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, the country grabbed six gold medals to finish fifth in the medal standings, its best finish at a Winter Games.

Park also played a key role in helping PyeongChang win the bid to host South Korea’s first Winter Olympics.

Park said though he is leaving the KOC, he still hopes to have a role in sports administration.

“From now on, I will try to help South Korean sports from the sidelines,” Park said. “If an opportunity arises, I will be more than willing to offer my helping hands, using the international network I’ve built over the past three decades.”