[내가 본 조양호 前 평창2018동계올림픽조직위원장과 IOC조문내용 및 외신기사]
2019년 4월8일자 한 인터넷 외신은 “평창2018동계올림픽유치지도자 70세에 사망하다”(Pyeongchang 2018 bid leader dies at age of 70)였습니다.
기사에 실린 내용은 국내 언론 및 방송매체가 이미 보도했던 내용이 주를 이루고 있으므로 따로 발췌하지는 않았습니다.
다만 외신기사 하단 부분에 있는 IOC의 고인에 대한 성명서 내용만 소개해 드립니다.
다음은 IOC의 고인에 대한 조문성명서 내용입니다:
A. "The IOC is very sad to hear the news that the former Pyeongchang 2018 President Cho Yang-ho has passed away." (IOC는 前 평창2018 조직위원장의 사망소식을 접하고 매우 슬픈 심정임)
B. "The contribution made by Mr. Cho during his leadership of the Organising Committee greatly contributed to the success of the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.(고인은 조직위원회 위원장 재직기간 동안 지도력을 발휘하여 평창2018동계올림픽의 성공을 위해 지대한 공헌을 하였음)
C. "Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time." (우리는 이 순간 고인의 가족 및 지인들과 함께 마음을 같이 하는 바임)
평창2018유치위원회 및 조직위원회 위원장으로 재직했던 시절 제가 경험한 조양호회장은 정권에 아부하지 않고 원리원칙과 조직을 위해 헌신하셨던 분으로 기억됩니다.
내편, 네 편을 기리는 편파성도 전혀 없으셨으며 업무에 입각하여 형평성과 공정성과 애정을 가지고 조직위원회를 지휘한 분이셨습니다.
고인은 때때로 외부압력으로 인해 고민을 한 바 있었던 것으로 생각되었지만 평창2018대회관련 성공적인 개최를 위해 국내외적으로 중심을 잡고 좌고우면(左顧右眄)하지 않았던 분이셨습니다. 그래서 결과적으로 조직위원장 직에서도 물러나는 등 불이익을 받지는 않았을까 하는 추측도 해 봅니다.
그분은 국제스포츠 계 전문가와 분야 별 전문성을 존중하였으며 위원장 보좌역 직분을 맡았던 필자에게도 평창2018성공개최를 위한 각 부문 별 아이디어와 제안내용을 Position Paper형식으로 보내줄 것을 부탁하시어 고인 재직기간 동안 100건 이상의 부문 별 대회조직운영관련 제안서를 조직위원장 재직시절 수시로 고인의 이 메일을 통하여 교신한 바 있었던 시절이 생각납니다.
대한항공회장 직 및 한진그룹 총수로서의 바쁜 일정 가운데에도 수시로 순번을 정해 평창2018 조직위원회 간부들을 서소문 빌딩 귀빈식당으로 초대하시어 소박하지만 애정과 배려가 차고도 넘치는 오찬메뉴와 허심탄회하고 인간적인 정이 묻어 나오는 대화장면과 분위기가 떠오릅니다. “I still vividly remember like I smell the fresh paint.” (영화 Titanic 중 에서)
고인이 평창2018조직위원장 시절 매주 월요일 전체간부회의 석상에서 각부서 별 주요현안 관련 주간 보고를 받으시면서 전문성이 돋보이고 섬세하고면서도 주도 면밀한 의견과 대안을 제시한 회의주재 당시의 목소리가 아직도 귓가를 맴돕니다.
“(중략) 우리는 만날 때에 떠날 것을 염려하는 것과 같이 떠날 때에 다시 만날 것을 믿습니다. 님은 갔지만 나는 님을 보내지 않았습니다 (후략)” (한용운 의 시 ‘님의 침묵’ 중에서)
삼가 고인의 영전에 명복을 빕니다. Rest in peace!
다음은 외신이 소개하는 고인에 대한 기사내용입니다:
Yang Ho Cho, who led Pyeongchang's successful bid for the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, has died at the age of 70, it was announced today.
Cho, the head of Korean Air, died peacefully in hospital in Los Angeles yesterday following a brief illness.
South Korean media reported he had been suffering from lung disease.
His death comes less than two weeks after he was removed from Korean Air's Board at a shareholder meeting following a series of allegations against him and his family for abusing their positions.
"The chairman was recovering from an operation he underwent late last year," a Korean Air spokesman said.
"But his condition worsened rapidly following the shareholder vote."
Cho had led the successful bid from Pyeongchang 2018 when the South Korean county was chosen ahead of Annecy and Munich at its third attempt to win the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, only to be replaced when the Organising Committee was formed.
Yang Ho Cho, third left, celebrates in Durban in 2011 after it was announced that Pyeongchang had been awarded the 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games ©Getty Images(2011년 7월6일 남아공 더반개최 IOC총회 투표결과 평창2018의 유치성공발표당시 환호하는 장면/출처: insidethegames)
He returned, however, in August 2014 at a time when there were fears over the lack of progress made by organisers.
Cho resigned in May 2016, a decision linked to the political cronyism scandal which engulfed the South Korean Government.
It later emerged that Choi Soon-sil, the adviser to then South Korean President Park Geun-hye, had played "undue influence" in helping force Cho out of his position.
Cho was also President of the Korean Table Tennis Association, a post he had held since 2008.
Last October, South Korean prosecutors indicted Cho on charges including embezzlement and breach of trust.
The charges, though, referred to his position at Korean Air and were nothing to do with his time when he led Pyeongchang 2018.
A Seoul prosecutors' office alleged Cho had taken ₩19.6 billion ($13.2 million/$17.3 million/€15.1 million) commission from 2003 until 2018 by setting up a trading company to broker aircraft equipment and in-flight duty-free goods purchase deals for Korean Air, causing the same amount of loss to the airline.
Korean Air had claimed it would present evidence which would clear Cho.
Cho was also suspected of taking ₩152 billion (£103 million/$135 million/€116 million) in medical care benefits from the National Health Insurance after illegally running a pharmacy without a licence from October 2010 to December 2014.
The pharmacy was situated near Inha University Hospital in Seoul, where Cho was chairman of the Board.
A court in Seoul today announced it would dismiss all legal proceedings related to Cho, and prosecutors said they would stop all investigations against him.
Yang Ho Cho returned briefly as President of the Organising Committee for Pyeongchang 2018 but was forced out in 2016 after being a victim of the political cronyism scandal which caused a crisis in South Korea ©Getty Images
In May last year, Cho's wife Lee Myung-hee had to appear before the police after she allegedly physically and verbally abused employees at at the Hanjin Group, the conglomerate which owned Korean Air.
Cho's eldest daughter Hyun-ah was arrested in 2014 following incident in 2014 an incident dubbed "nut rage" when she ordered the Korean Air plane she was aboard to return to its gate at a JFK Airport in New York after losing her temper over the way she was served macadamia nuts.
She was sentenced to one year in prison for violating aviation law in late 2014 but was released in early 2015 when a high court suspended the sentence.
Hyun-ah's younger sister Hyun-min, meanwhile, was also at the centre of bad publicity for allegedly throwing a cup of water during a business meeting with a partner firm.
Both daughters resigned from their senior positions at Korean Air due to the scandals.
*References:
-insidethegames
