|
 Lee will be officially elected at the body's general congress on
May 12 and will then need the final approval of the country's
ministry of culture, sports and tourism, POCOG said in a statement
after its executive board meeting.
Once elected, Lee will replace Hanjin Group Chairman Cho Yang-ho,
who stepped down on Tuesday in order to focus on the management of
the troubled Hanjin Shipping.
While Lee, 67, brings little in the way of sports administration
experience to the role, his business ties are likely to help
organizers meet sponsorship targets with Asia's first Winter Games
outside Japan less than two years away.
Lee, who served as South Korea's trade minister from 2003-06, has
also held high level positions at the Korea International Trade
Association and Korea Employers Federation.
Cho's sudden departure on Tuesday cast a shadow over preparations
for the Games as the 67-year-old had won praise for bringing in
high-level sponsors and getting venue construction on the right
track.
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The International Olympic Committee (IOC), while noting the progress
made since Cho took over in 2014, was confident POCOG would continue
to work through preparation issues and that South Korea would host
an "excellent" Winter Games.
(Writing by Peter Rutherford and Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by John
O'Brien)
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