World Tae Kwon Do Vice President Resigns

World Tae Kwon Do Vice President Resigns

IOC vice president Kim Un-yong resigned Friday as national lawmaker and president of the WTF.

Kim has been questioned by South Korean prosecutors about allegations he collected illicit money from former South Korean
Olympic officials and embezzled funds from taekwondo organizations.

On Friday, Kim said he was quitting as head of the World Taekwondo Federation, which he has headed for three decades, his aides said. “I made this decision while feeling a heavy sense of responsibility for causing controversy in connection with my sports diplomacy,” he said, reading a prepared statement.

Kim also have up two posts he held in South Korea: national lawmaker affiliated with the opposition Democratic Millennium Party, and head of the World Taekwondo Headquarters, a Seoul-based institute that
issues taekwondo credentials. “While doing this, I sometimes got careless, and I admit that I did things wrong,” he said. “I bow my head and offer my deep apologies.”

He wiped tears from his eyes, and stepped aside from the podium and bowed deeply.

Last month, South Korean prosecutors raided Kim’s house and offices, a private safe and documents. Prosecutors suspect Kim of embezzling funds from the World Taekwondo Federation and the World Taekwondo Headquarters. He also faces allegations that he received money in return for helping two men become members of the Korean Olympic Committee.