Anger is mounting over the decision to allow Lee to return to the IOC despite being found guilty in July 2008 of failing to pay $39 million (£24 million) in taxes, following allegations he hid money in accounts held under the names of aides, which led to him being fined 110 billion won (£58 million), a South Korean record, and given a three-year suspended prison sentence.

The IOC Ethics Commission concluded that Lee had "tarnished the reputation of the Olympic Movement" but the former chairman of Samsung, one of the Olympics' biggest sponsors, avoided expulsion.

Instead he has been given a public warning and will not be allowed to sit on any IOC Commission for five years.

But he remains free to play a leading role in Pyeongchang's bid to host the 2018 Olympics.

Lee had voluntarily given up his IOC membership after being charged in 2008.

He has, however, only been allowed to resume his membership after the South Korean President Lee Myung-bak caved into pressure from supporters of Pyeongchang's bid and granted him a Presidential pardon, the second Lee has been given since joining the IOC in 1996.

But Rogge, who attended a special ceremony with Lee in Beijing in April 2007 (pictured) when Samsung extended its multi-million dollar sponsorship until the 2016 Olympics, defended the decision to let him resume his role as a member.

He said: "Mr Lee was convicted in his own country and he was granted an amnesty which alleviates the consequences of the criminal offence.

"The rules of the IOC are very clear -- when someone transgresses the rules or ethics or tarnishes the reputation of the IOC, a sanction must be given."

Rogge claimed that the decision to give Lee just a slap across the wrist was consistent with the treatment given in previous cases. 

These included Guy Drut, France's 1976 Olympic 110 metres champion, who also avoided being expelled after then President Jacques Chirac gave him a pardon after he was given a 15-month suspended sentence in October 2005 and fined $60,000 (£38,484) in a corruption and party-financing trial.

Rogge also cited the example of a case involving another South Korean, Yong-sung Park, the former President of the International Judo Federation (IJF) who was convicted of embezzlement and fraud and given a three year suspended jail sentence and a fine of $8.2 million (£5.2 million).

Yong-sung Park and three of his brothers were charged with pocketing more than $33 million (£21 million) from the family owned Doosan conglomerate but was allowed to resume his position as an IOC in April 2007 after being given a Presidential pardon only to be forced to stand down from the IOC later that year after he resigned as President of the IJF.

However, he continues to have an important role in the Olympic Movement as the President of the Korean Olympic Committee and will also have a high-profile position in Pyeongchang's bid.

Rogge said: "The sanction [for Lee] was the same as for Mr Guy Drut and Mr Yong-sung Park.

"The parallel is, yes, that we are tough on on athletes and there is a maximum two years for drugs like EPO (Erythropoietin) and steroids.

"But the IOC [in the past] has expelled 10 members for life so we are tough on our members like we are on our athletes.

"I'll also point out that with Mr Lee, these were facts that were absolutely not related to sport."

Shortly after the news yesterday that he had his IOC membership restored Lee boarded a plane at Incheon International Airport in Seoul to travel here to attend the IOC Session, which starts on Wednesday.

He was accompanied by his wife and his son Lee Jay-yong, the heir apparent to the Samsung empire.

Lee is expected to join other South Korean officials and begin lobbying IOC members about Pyeongchang's bid.

It is their third consecutive bid for the Games having narrowly missed out on 2010 and 2014, which were awarded to Sochi.

Lee said: "I will do my best [in Vancouver] as I have done until now, and do more."

A spokesman on behalf of the 2018 Bid Committee said: "The PyeongChang 2018 Bid Committee fully respects the decision of the IOC Executive Board to reinstate Mr Kun-Hee Lee as a full IOC Member.

"The Bid Committee will meet with Mr Lee in the near future to discuss the plans for PyeongChang 2018 and our campaign to bring the Winter Games to Korea."

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


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December 2009: Lee given Presidential Pardon so he can help Pyeongchang 2018 bid