Kim Dongmoon Elected as 32nd President of Badminton Korea Association
"A New Leap Forward Through Bold Changes and Challenges"
Kim Dong-moon (50), a professor at Wonkwang University and a 'legend of shuttlecock doubles' in Korean badminton, has been elected president of the Badminton Korea Association. Some interpret that the 'determined remarks' by 2024 Paris Olympic gold medalist An Se-young (Samsung Life Insurance) triggered a butterfly effect.
On the 23rd, Professor Kim was elected as the new president at the 32nd Badminton Korea Association presidential election held at Hotel Sunshine in Dong-gu, Daejeon, receiving the highest 64 votes (41.5%) out of 154 valid votes, defeating the incumbent president Kim Taek-gyu (60), who received 43 votes.
Badminton Olympic gold medalist Professor Kim Dong-moon of Wonkwang University is answering questions from the press after being elected as the 32nd president of the Badminton Korea Association at the election held in Daejeon on the 23rd. Photo by Yonhap News
Thus, Professor Kim is expected to begin his four-year term starting from the regular general meeting early next month.
Professor Kim is a legend in Korean badminton, having won the mixed doubles gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the men's doubles gold medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. He is married to Na Kyung-min (49), a professor at Korea National Sport University, who was his long-time mixed doubles partner.
Following An Se-young's 'determined remarks' right after the Paris Olympics last year, the incumbent president Kim faced pressure to resign from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and he stepped down after losing this election.
After winning the gold medal in August last year, An Se-young made explosive remarks targeting the association, saying "injury management is lax," "neglect disguised as freedom," and "arbitrarily blocked participation in competitions," which caused a major stir. Subsequently, the Ministry of Culture launched an investigation into the Badminton Korea Association and raised suspicions of embezzlement and breach of trust by President Kim in a mid-term report in September last year.
An Se-young, who won the gold medal in women's singles badminton at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is speaking to the press after returning through Incheon International Airport last year. Photo by Yonhap News
Ahead of the election, President Kim was disqualified from candidacy by the Badminton Korea Association Election Commission due to causing social controversy, but the situation reversed when the court granted his injunction to suspend the invalidation of his candidate registration. The presidential election date was postponed, and eventually, President Kim participated in the race as candidate number 4.
In contrast, Professor Kim expressed 'sympathy' with An Se-young's remarks when he declared his candidacy in September last year. He diagnosed, "This incident is not simply an individual problem but stems from various complex issues, wrong practices, and a system that does not fit the times."
He promised reform, saying, "Ultimately, there is a significant gap between the perspectives of the players and the association," and added, "I hope this will be an opportunity to break free from rigid thinking and take bold changes and challenges to make a fresh leap forward."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
