Kim Chong, the former Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in the country, was interviewed in relation to the ongoing political investigation today.

The politician, who stood down on October 30, has been accused of using his position to influence policy decisions in favour of Choi Soon-sil.

It has been alleged Kim helped Choi’s foundations win lucrative state contracts, which she then used for personal gain.

Choi emerged as an ally of South Korean President Park Geun-hye and is accused of holding sway over political decisions, despite having no official Government role.

It is alleged that Choi and other members of her family had a "far deeper influence" in economic, foreign and defence policy than they should have and that they profited from "related business ventures".

This allegedly includes venues being used for Pyeongchang 2018, as well as the process by which Cho Yang-ho was replaced by Lee as Organising Committee President in May.

Lee told the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) General Assembly here that preparations for the Games would not be affected by "external factors".

The Pyeongchang 2018 President told delegates present that an "internal investigation" was conducted which found no external influences.

"Most of the tenders for procurement were done through the public tender process, which cannot be affected by outside factors," he said.

"I have checked internally and found that within Pyeongchang 2018 nothing was influenced."

Lee reiterated that Pyeongchang 2018 remain supported by the Government, referencing a special resolution which was passed with an "absolute majority" last week.

Providing an update on sponsorship, he said that organisers had reached 82 per cent of their target of ₩870 billion (£560 million/$752 million/€678 million).

He vowed to meet the promised figure by the time of the Games, with Pyeongchang 2018 remaining hopeful of eventually exceeding the amount.

It was also confirmed that a total of 22 National Olympic Committees had made ticket requests to date.

The official sale of tickets will coincide with the one year to go celebrations, due to take place on February 9.

The decision to put the tickets on sale on this date is part of a strategy to improve the promotion of the Games, which has emerged as a key issue to resolve.

This is partly due to the relative remoteness of the location, which is a three-hour drive from capital Seoul.

There is also unfamiliarity with the region in comparison with other recent Olympic hosts.

Pyeongchang 2018 have promised to deliver the most compact Winter Olympics and Paralympics to date, with Lee informing delegates that a new headquarters in the resort had been established.

A total of 91,000 applications have been made for volunteering roles, with organisers now assessing the candidates.