Lee was elected to the IOC last year with his membership linked to his role as the KSOC President.

Under the current KSOC statutes, Lee would have to resign 90 days prior to the upcoming KSOC Presidential election if he were to seek a second term.

Lee told the South Korean news agency Yonhap that the KSOC has requested the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for an amendment which would suspend him from serving as the organisation's President during the election campaign, rather than resigning.

Should Lee not seek a second term, he would also lose his IOC membership.

Lee has called for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to approve the changes.

"I think this is a matter of principle," Lee told Yonhap.

"The Ministry should decide quickly whether the amendments are appropriate or not."

The IOC last month warned the South Korean Government over interference in the KSOC, after plans to split the body into two separate entities were seemingly revived.

IOC director of Olympic Solidarity and NOC relations James Macleod said the organisation was "very concerned by external pressures" from the Government to break up the KSOC.

Macleod also claimed the South Korean Government had blocked the implementation of the KSOC's new statutes, which had been approved by the IOC, "for unknown reasons".

Should the Government fail to heed the warnings, the KSOC could face suspension from the IOC.

A South Korean Government Committee last year recommended the KSOC be divided into two entities – one functioning as the NOC and the other overseeing sports for all – amid abuse scandals and allegations of corruption.

South Korean athletes have made further allegations of abuse in recent months, including triathlete Choi Suk-hyeon.

Choi took her own life in July after alleging she had endured years of physical and verbal abuse from her coaching staff.

The KSOC, which upheld bans given to an athlete and a coach following Choi's death, has been criticised by the Sports Ministry for its handling of the abuse in triathlon.

Lee has claimed separating the KSOC into two separate bodies would create more problems.

"These cases are really unfortunate but splitting the KSOC will only cause more problems," Lee told Yonhap.

"The Sports Ministry should give us time and space to work on these issues.

"When these incidents came to light, all sports administrators were portrayed as troublemakers and even criminals, but we have made significant contributions to society.

"We've done the best we could under the circumstances.

"It would be more efficient to have a single organisation that can handle sports policy.

"We've only had the integrated KSOC for four years, and splitting it up would affect 10,000 different organisations.

"I don't understand why the Government is trying to create these problems."