S. Korean IOC member sentenced to jail

Kim Un-yong, the disgraced South Korean vice president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC),was sentenced to two years and six months in jail and fined 788 million won (673,500 US dollars) for his embezzlement.

The Seoul Central District Court said in a ruling Thursday that Kim is accused of embezzling 3.3 billion won (2.84 million dollars)and accepting 788 million won (673,500 dollars) in kickbacks while serving as head of various international sports organizations, reported South Korean Yonhap News Agency.

The court also said it should give a heavy prison term to Kim, as he committed the "grave" misconduct of asking other IOC members to send insulting letters to the South Korean judiciary.

But Kim's contributions to the development of South Korea's taekwondo and other sports and his belated apology for his misconduct were considered in lessening the prison term from the prosecution's request for seven years, the court noted.

The 73-year-old Kim has served as chief of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), South Korea's Taekwondo Association, and the General Association of International Sports Federations over the past decade.

Kim, a longtime IOC member who also served as a lawmaker of the former ruling Millennium Democratic Party, was arrested in Januaryon charges of taking huge money from a number of sports organizations he chaired, including the WTF and the Organizing Committee for the 2002 Busan Asian Games, for his personal use.

He was also accused of receiving 810 million won in bribes from two sporting goods companies in South Korea from 1997 through 2002 while he was serving as the head of the Korean Olympic Committee.

Under heavy pressure, the South Korean powerful IOC member announced his resignation as lawmaker and the presidency of both the World Taekwondo Headquarters and the WTF on January 9 this year.

The IOC Board of Governor decided earlier this year to suspend Kim's rights, privilege and duty relative to his IOC vice presidency.