Yoo Seung Min President of the Korean Sports Council, unfortunate incident, The need to reorganize regulations to secure its own finances suitable for the reality of sports organizations

Apr 16, 2025

Kim Yoo Seung Min, chairman of the Korea Sports Council,

"I'm sorry about the unfortunate incident. The regulations should be reorganized to suit the reality by creating a model for sports organizations to become self-reliant and expand their own finances."

For the first time, the chairman of the Korea Sports Council Yoo Seung Min made an official statement on the controversial 'Incentive Regulations for Donations' due to the demand for disciplinary action by the Sports Ethics Center. On the 14th, the Sports Ethics Center requested an institutional warning to Association A that eliminated the recommended players and changed them to other players in accordance with due process in the selection process of the national team"In addition, two of the former and current executives and employees were accused of professional negligence in connection with the unfair payment of incentives for sponsorship and donations by Association A, and four were to demand disciplinary action for negligence of duty and violation of regulations such as articles of association and articles of association,' he said." Although not specified in the press release, the contents have been raised several times by opposing candidates who blocked the election of the president of the Korea Table Tennis Association last year and the election of the president of the Korea Sports Association this year. The Sports Ethics Center judged that even if it was for the purpose of attracting donations to increase the association's financial independence, '10% incentive' violates the articles of association that 'Officers cannot be paid' and that it is a natural obligation for part-time executives to attract sponsorship without pay'. As a result, he filed a complaint against two executives and employees who received tens of millions of won in incentives and demanded disciplinary action against four executives and employees for neglecting their duties or receiving incentives in violation of regulations such as the articles of association. In addition, it recommended 335 million won in incentives along with an `institutional warning' to the association.

Regarding the donation incentive regulations, there was a series of controversies such as "'If I had done nothing and received the money given by the government, nothing would have happened.'" It was followed by a protest, saying, "'It is illegal to make its own rules and take some of the donations." Some candidates for the chairman of the sports association demanded and pressured Yoo to resign, less than three weeks after he took office on the 28th of last month, and Yoo's solution was a head-on breakthrough through on-site communication. Early on the morning of the 16th, he visited Jincheon National Training Center. Immediately after the voluntary early morning training, he met with the leaders of the national team, the most reliable support base, and listened to and communicated on-site opinions through luncheon and chats. Then, the first on-site meeting was held with the heads of sports organizations from 10:30 a.m. that day. Executives, including the chairman and vice-chairman of each event, who were confirmed by the Korea Sports Council after being elected in each event election, gathered in Jincheon to seek changes and visions for a new era and new sports in Korea.

Chairman Yoo congratulates the chairmen who will lead the development of each event over the next four years, including sports development, athletes, leaders, sports enthusiasts, and student athletes. I would like to say that the Korean Sports Council will support you hard," he said in his first greeting. "The good performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics was thanks to the struggles of our athletes and the remarkable support and dedication of the respective sports organizations." "Today, we are here to meet the expectations of innovation and change in sports in a different era.," he said, pointing to the present and future of Korean sports to be made together over the next four years.

Chairman Yoo put the marketing office directly under the chairman's control through reorganization at the beginning of his term", referring to the firm philosophy of marketing and financial independence. "In terms of the financial independence of the Korean Sports Council, it was only 8.6 billion won last year. IOC earns 3 trillion won a year. One platform called the Olympics generates enormous profits. It will redistribute 90% of this revenue evenly to 206 NOCs, respective sports organizations, athletes and leaders on a budget"The budget of the Korean Sports Council may be large, but its own profit activities were small. It is only one-tenth of the Korea Football Association (KFA) where Vice Chairman Kim Byung-ji is here. "I thought I should focus on marketing activities to increase my own profits, and I made a pledge, but there are restrictions.The Korean Sports Council is classified as other public institutions, and all conditions are made in accordance with the form of public institutions. I drew my picture big and then I hit it out one by one according to the constraints, and I'm thinking about how to maximize the remaining pie.' "I am constantly tapping the National Assembly, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and related agencies to think about how to compensate for our institutional weaknesses in accordance with the sports field and reality." "The newly launched Sports Reform TF will also explain various projects. The Korean Sports Council intends to reorganize the regulations to suit the reality of sports organizations and the sports world through communication with active sports organizations, not stagnant sports organizations" expressed his will.

At the end of the greeting, he expressed his position on the recent controversy. "You may have seen the news yesterday and the day before yesterday, but I'm sorry that I'm here to greet you with unpleasant things."I've been the head of a sports organization with you for five years. The reality of the sports organization is not easy. While there are organizations with abundant sponsorships, it is true that the chairman or executive is in a vulnerable structure that requires them to attract sponsorships by selling their products with a `one-man show.' Basic office maintenance and training expenses are supported, but marketing and profitable activities are urgently needed for the rest of the youth, players, leaders, sports lovers, and sports development. Of course, it is my mistake to take care of that (regulation) incorrectly. However, if this is a contraction, I think we should look back on the regulations"He emphasized the need to establish marketing regulations in accordance with reality. "Some have served consecutive terms as president and some have renewed them, but they are all devoted to the sports organization by working like cows without any salary or public expenses. I understand that you are trying to develop a sports organization by utilizing all of your money, time, and connections. "I've been doing that for five years, but I have to be cautious because of this mistake." "We will listen carefully to the opinions of the sports organizations today and improve what we can improve. "The idea is that we should not hide behind marketing activities, but come out to the sunny side and make a counterproposal by creating a model for self-reliance, independence, and self-financing." "I will be responsible for it. I thought we could all be in the same situation if we did something wrong. We need to examine these areas more closely, listen to the voices of the field, make policies, and reorganize regulations so that they are not sanctioned or restricted for the development of sports organizations, and of course, have a sense of responsibility."

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.