Kim Un-Yong

Kim Un-Yong was one of the most powerful IOC Members for many years, but his tenure eventually ended in disgrace when he was forced to resign his post. Kim studied in the United States at Texas Western University and later became a career politician and diplomat in Korea. He was Counsellor to the Korean Mission to the United Nations in 1963, was a UN General Assembly delegate in 1965, and later was a deputy director-general to the President of Korea. In 1990 he was made a special envoy to the President of Korea.

In sports Kim started out as President of the Korean Taekwondo Association in 1971, and later served many years on the Korean Olympic Committee, eventually becoming President in 1993. He also became President of the World Taekwondo Federation. Kim was made an IOC Member in 1986 and served on multiple commissions, and was on the Executive Board from 1988-92 and was an IOC Vice-President from 1992-96. Kim was also instrumental in helping Seoul obtain the 1988 Olympic Games. In 2001 Kim ran for IOC President after the retirement of Juan Antonio Samaranch, and placed second in the election to Jacques Rogge. That in itself was a comeback as Kim had been implicated back in 1999 during the Olympic Bribery Scandal. His son, John Kim, had been employed by a corporation affiliated to the Salt Lake Organizing Committee and all his salary was paid by the OCOG. Kim Un-Yong was later given a warning during the investigation onto the Olympic Bribery Scandal but was otherwise exonerated.

However, the 2001 IOC Presidential election was the apex of Kim’s IOC career. Over the next few years, he faced criminal charges in his native Korea, related to alleged corruption. Kim was found guilty and lost on appeal and faced jail-time. When this occurred he voluntarily resigned from the IOC on 9 May 2005, although he was again, at that time, IOC Vice-President. Kim’s criminal record was being examined by the IOC Ethics Commission and his expulsion was certain so the resignation was done for him to save that public humiliation.