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Seoul, South Korea • South Korean organizers have officially selected former government minister Lee Hee-beom as the new head of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
Lee was nominated Wednesday, a day after the sudden resignation of Cho Yang-ho as president of the local organizing committee.
The committee's 23-member executive board voted unanimously, with one abstention, to nominate Lee as the new leader. The appointment is scheduled to be ratified by the committee's general assembly on May 12 before going to the culture and sports ministry for final approval.
Lee is a former minister of industry and energy.
Cho quit Tuesday, saying he needed to deal with the financial troubles at the business group his family controls.