Ryu Seung-min, chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee, is under investigation

Reposted from: Governor of Chang'an Street

According to The Paper, citing Yonhap News Agency, on October 29, the Financial Crime Investigation Section of the Seoul Local Police Department launched an investigation. The suspect was Ryu Seung-min, the current chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee and president of the Korea Sports Association.

In July this year, some Korean people accused Ryu Seung-min of promoting a reward system during his tenure as chairman of the Korean Table Tennis Association, which caused losses to the Korean Table Tennis Association, on the grounds of suspected business malfeasance. It is reported that the Korean Table Tennis Association introduced this system in 2021: 10% of the sponsorship amount will be paid to those who introduce sponsorship funds from companies and other sources. However, this system is not within the valid regulations.

As of last year, a total of 10 people had received this award, including Ryu Seung-min’s younger brother, who served as CEO of his agency and received a bonus of approximately 200 million won (approximately RMB 1 million). The police had reason to suspect that Ryu Seung-min may have received this bonus in the name of others, and planned to summon Ryu Seung-min himself after the investigation.

Ryu Seung-min was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1982. He is a former Korean men's table tennis player. During his service, he participated in 4 Olympic Games, 5 World Table Tennis Championships, and 9 ITTF Professional Tour Finals. He won the 2002 Asian Games Men's Doubles Championship, the 2004 Athens Olympics Men's Singles Championship and many other honors.

Ryu Seung-min is well-known to many Chinese fans for his unexpected victory over Wang Hao to win the gold medal at the 2004 Olympics.

In 2017, Ryu Seung-min officially retired. In 2019, Ryu Seung-min was successfully elected as the chairman of the Korean Table Tennis Association and was successfully re-elected in 2020 for a four-year term.

In 2021, Ryu Seung-min became the first Asian to serve as vice president of the International Olympic Committee Athletes Commission. In January 2025, Ryu Seung-min was elected chairman of the Korean Olympic Committee.