By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Park Yong-sung, chairman of the Doosan Group, quit his membership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to focus on his business, the Doosan Group announced Thursday.
Park had served as a member of the IOC and president of the International Judo Federation
(IJF).
By resigning as president of IJF, Park automatically lost his IOC membership. He became an IOC member in 2001 in the capacity of the president of the IJF.
The 67-year-old tycoon was elected the president of the IJF in 1995.
He has succeeded in extending his term three times and still had three years remaining before expiring his duty in 2009.
Due to his resignation, Lee Kun-hee, the chief executive officer of Samsung Group, becomes the only Korean member in the IOC.
There remain only two Korean members ㅡ Kang Young-joong, president of the International Badminton Federation (BWF), and Choue Chung-won, president of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) ㅡ in the international sports governing circle.
With his strong human network built through 20 years of experience in international sports, Park will focus his efforts toward improving Korea's sports industry and the Doosan Group, said Doosan officials.