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MILAN, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- Grateful for the support he has received along the way, Kim Jae-youl, the global skating chief recently elected to the top decision-making body of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said Monday he will try to pay it forward.

Kim, president of the International Skating Union (ISU) and an IOC member, spoke with South Korean reporters Monday at the "Home of Skating," set up inside a hotel near Milano Ice Skating Arena as a gathering place for skating athletes, officials and other stakeholders during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. The media availability took place five days after Kim was elected to the IOC's Executive Board in a vote by his fellow members.

Kim is just the second South Korean to serve on the IOC Executive Board, joining former IOC Vice President Kim Un-yong.

Kim Jae-youl, head of the International Skating Union and a new member of the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board, speaks at a press conference at the Home of Skating in Milan on Feb. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)

"Personally, it is a huge honor to be elected to the Executive Board," Kim said. "The fact that I've reached this point is a reflection of South Korea's elevated status in international sports. This is only possible because a lot of people that came before me worked so hard to prove themselves in the international sports community. I feel a sense of responsibility."

According to the IOC, the Executive Board "assumes the general overall responsibility for the administration of the IOC." It is also responsible for managing the IOC's finances and overseeing the procedure for accepting and selecting candidates for hosting the Olympic Games.

Kim, 57, became an IOC member in October 2023, in his capacity as the head of the global governing body of an Olympic sport. He has been at the ISU's helm since June 2022.

Previously, Kim was the Korea Skating Union's president from 2011 to 2016, executive vice president of international relations for the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, vice president of the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee and South Korea's chef de mission at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Over the years, Kim said he has witnessed the growth of South Korea's presence in international sports organizations. He recalled that he hosted more than 30 young South Korean sports administrators based in Lausanne, Switzerland -- home of the IOC and many other international federations -- for dinner last fall, more than double the number of people that he hosted in 2019.

Kim Jae-youl, head of the International Skating Union and a new member of the International Olympic Committee's Executive Board, speaks at a press conference at the Home of Skating in Milan on Feb. 9, 2026. (Yonhap)

"Many of them worked on the organizing committee for PyeongChang 2018, and it was really heartening to see them build experience elsewhere and find their new homes in Lausanne," Kim said. "Just as I've received so much help to get to where I am today, I will try to help these young people grow so that they can go on to play important roles in international sports administration."

Kim said IOC President Kirsty Coventry has many ideas about making the Olympic Games "more approachable, transparent and entertaining," and he is looking forward to working with her on further improving the Olympic experience.

Kim will also continue to seek ways to improve skating sports, having already implemented several changes during his time as the ISU's president.

"We always try to find ways to make skating more appealing to a younger generation of fans," Kim said. "We want to inspire as many people as possible through sports."

Kim is the son-in-law of late Samsung Group Chairman Lee Kun-hee, who was elected as an IOC member in 1996 and became an honorary member in 2017.

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