Kim was chosen Tuesday (Korea time) during the 145th IOC Session in Milan, host city of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. He received 84 votes in favor out of 100 valid ballots, with 10 against and six abstentions.
He joins the late Kim Un-yong, a former IOC vice president, as the only South Koreans to have served on the IOC’s top decision-making body.
Founded in 1921, the Executive Board consists of the IOC president, four vice presidents and 10 other members. It oversees the organization’s administration and finances and manages procedures for selecting Olympic host cities. Members serve four-year terms.
Four candidates competed for three open seats in the election. Along with Kim, Ingmar De Vos of Belgium and Neven Ilic of Chile were also elected.
President Lee Jae Myung congratulated Kim in a Facebook post, calling the election a significant step for South Korea’s international standing in sports governance.
“This great accomplishment transcends individual glory,” Lee wrote. “It carries tremendous significance in that South Korea will now take on an even greater leadership role at the center of international sports governance.”
Lee added that Kim’s experience and leadership would help shape the future of the Olympic Movement.
“Kim’s wealth of experience and brilliant leadership will lay a strong foundation for leading the future of the Olympic Movement,” he said, expressing hope that Kim would further expand international cooperation based on Olympic values of fairness, transparency, peace and solidarity.
The president also pledged the government’s full support for sports diplomacy, vowing to strengthen South Korea’s role as “a responsible partner” in the global community.
Kim became an IOC member in October 2023 in his capacity as head of an Olympic sport’s international governing body. He has served as ISU president since June 2022.
He previously served as president of the Korea Skating Union from 2011 to 2016, vice president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, and South Korea’s chef de mission at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. He was also executive vice president of international relations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
Kim remains the only South Korean member of the IOC. Former Olympic bobsleigh silver medalist Won Yun-jong is seeking election this month to the IOC Athletes’ Commission.
Kim, 57, is the brother-in-law of Samsung Group Chairman Lee Jae-yong.
Meanwhile, former U.N. under-secretary-general Kim Won-soo was elected to the IOC’s Ethics Commission.Kim Won-soo, a career diplomat and close associate of former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, will serve a four-year term and may be re-elected twice.
The commission is responsible for updating the IOC’s Code of Ethics, reviewing potential violations and advising on ethical governance.
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