Kim Jae-youl elected president of the International Skating Union

Kim Jae-youl

Kim Jae-youl, the former head of the Korea Skating Union (KSU), was elected president of the International Skating Union (ISU) at the union's annual congress in Phuket, Thailand on Friday.

Kim, who received 77 of a possible 119 votes, is the first non-European to lead the global skating governing body. He is the 12th president of the ISU in the organization's 130-year history and has served as an ISU Council member since 2016.

The new ISU president faced competition from Slobodan Delic of Serbia, Susanna Rahkamo of Finland and Patricia St. Peter of the United States in the election. He is elected to a four-year term and can seek reelection in the future.

Kim, the son-in-law of late Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee, has held a number of sports administrative roles, including as president of the KSU from 2011 to 2016. He was executive vice president of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics Organizing Committee, vice president of the Korea Olympic Committee and a member of the IOC Coordination Committee for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

“Skating was the first winter Olympic sport that Koreans took part in, and since then, we’ve seen amazing progress, producing world and Olympic champions," Kim said in a statement released by the KSU on Friday.

"Many ordinary Koreans are fans of skating, both figure and speed. My hope is that more people around the world will also be able to experience and participate in winter sports through skating. As president of ISU, I will work to promote skating to reach more new fans and markets around the world.”

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]