On November 27, Minister YU In Chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) appointed former Chairman of the Financial Services Commission (FSC) CHOI Jong Gu as the President of the Organizing Committee for the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games (Gangwon 2024) and presented him with a letter of appointment at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. The organization has also appointed 7 new members to its Advisors Group, including former officials with experience at the 2018 Winter Olympics (PyeongChang 2018), International Olympic Committee (IOC) member KIM Jae Youl, and vice chairmen of major economic organizations, to help ensure the successful hosting of the Games, which are just over 50 days away.

 The new President will oversee internal and external communications and administration, accelerating the preparations for the Games

 Vice chairmen of major economic organizations were appointed as new advisory members to encourage interest and participation from the business community

CHOI Jong Gu, the Organizing Committee’s new President, is an administrative professional with nearly 40 years of extensive experience encompassing the public and private sectors. Minister YU emphasized that President CHOI’s expertise and experiences make him a qualified individual to help the Organizing Committee prepare for the event and provide significant strength to enhance internal and external communications, leading to the successful execution of the event. The two presidents of the Organizing Committee, LEE Sang Hwa and JIN Jong Oh, are former young athletes representing the winter and summer sports, respectively, and will focus on promoting the competition by actively communicating with the young athletes (15–18 years old) who are the main protagonists of the competition.

In addition, a total of seven people were newly appointed as advisory members, namely KIM Jae Youl, a member of the IOC and President of Samsung Global Strategy Group; YEO Hyung Koo, former Secretary-General of the PyeongChang 2018 Organizing Committee; KIM Ki Hong, former Vice Chairman of the 2018 Pyeongchang Organizing Committee; and KIM Chang Beom, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Federation of Korean Industries; LEE Dong Geun, Vice Chairman of the Korea Enterprises Federation; WOO Tae Hee, Vice Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and JEONG Man Ki, Vice Chairman of the Korea International Trade Association. The appointment of the vice chairmen of major domestic economic organizations as advisory members is expected to encourage interest and participation from the business community, laying a solid foundation for the success of the Games, together with the new President of the Organizing Committee.

 Sports festivals celebrate youth athletes worldwide, bringing hope for the post-COVID-19 era

Minister YU In Chon congratulated the newly appointed President of the Organizing Committee, saying, “The youth participating in Gangwon 2024 will learn the values of solidarity and empathy, creating unforgettable memories through exchanges with youth from various countries and races. I hope you will take special care to develop this event into a sports festival where young people worldwide can learn about and enjoy K-Culture.” He particularly emphasized, “While global youth sports activities and exchanges have been limited due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, I hope that Gangwon 2024 will serve as an opportunity for over 2,000 youth athletes from more than 80 countries to reunite with hope and fully enjoy the charm of sports festivals and K-Culture.”