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Korea picks veteran diplomat to lead global student games
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By
Jhoo Dong-chan
Published
May 21, 2026 2:25 pm
KST
Lee Jeong-woo, new secretary-general of the organizing committee for the 2027 FISU Summer World University Games
With just over a year until Korea hosts one of the world's largest sporting events, organizers have turned to a seasoned bureaucratic hand to steady the ship. The organizing committee for the 2027 FISU Summer World University Games announced the appointment of Lee Jeong-woo as its new secretary-general. He officially assumed the role on Monday.
Lee, who most recently served as director general for arts and culture policy at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, takes the helm at a critical operational juncture. The scale of the assignment is formidable: The Chungcheong 2027 games, scheduled to run from Aug. 1 to 12 next year, will span four distinct provinces and cities — Daejeon, Sejong, North Chungcheong and South Chungcheong provinces — drawing roughly 15,000 student-athletes from more than 150 nations to compete in 18 sports.
As secretary-general, Lee will wield broad executive control, overseeing everything from venue logistics and security to international diplomacy and the staging of the opening and closing ceremonies.
His appointment is viewed as a strategic move by Seoul to deploy deep institutional knowledge to a complex international project. A career civil servant who entered public service via the prestigious 37th Civil Service Examination, Lee’s resume reads like a targeted preparation for this post.
He previously directed the culture ministry’s sports and international sports divisions, but it is his global exposure that organizers prize most. He has served as a senior program specialist at UNESCO and as the director of the Korean Cultural Centre in London — credentials the committee expects will smooth relations with the International University Sports Federation governing body.
"His combined expertise across international affairs, sports production, and administrative policy makes him uniquely qualified," said Kang Chang-hee, the organizing committee's chairman, noting that the appointment comes at a crucial hour in the tournament's final countdown.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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