A ruling party lawmaker was elected Friday as the head of South Korea’s top men’s professional basketball league.

<YONHAP PHOTO-0881> 한선교 신임총재 '본부석이 아닌 관중석에서 관람하겠습니다' (서울=연합뉴스) 김주성 기자 = KBL 신임총재로 선출된 한선교 한나라당 의원이 3일 오전 강남구 논현동 KBL센터에서 기자회견을 갖고 KBL 수장으로서 각오를 밝히고 있다. 2011.6.3 utzza@yna.co.kr/2011-06-03 11:21:52/ <저작권자 ⓒ 1980-2011 ㈜연합뉴스. 무단 전재 재배포 금지.> Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Grand National Party. Yonhap News
한선교 신임총재 '본부석이 아닌 관중석에서 관람하겠습니다' (서울=연합뉴스) 김주성 기자 = KBL 신임총재로 선출된 한선교 한나라당 의원이 3일 오전 강남구 논현동 KBL센터에서 기자회견을 갖고 KBL 수장으로서 각오를 밝히고 있다. 2011.6.3 utzza@yna.co.kr/2011-06-03 11:21:52/ <저작권자 ⓒ 1980-2011 ㈜연합뉴스. 무단 전재 재배포 금지.> Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Grand National Party. Yonhap News

Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Grand National Party will replace Chon Yook as the commissioner of the Korean Basketball League. Han won seven votes among 10 KBL clubs, a day after the two remained tied following five rounds of voting.

Rep. Han Sun-kyo of the Grand National Party. (Yonhap News)

Chon’s term is set to end at the end of August. Han, who lost his bid to Chon three years ago, is the first incumbent legislator to take the reins at the KBL.

As a television broadcaster before his political career, Han did play-by-play announcing for local basketball games and served as a public address announcer for a KBL club in the 1990s.

Han has pledged to help restore the popularity of the league by placing more games on network television.

The KBL was founded in 1997, riding the massive popularity of semi-pro and university teams in annual national tournaments.

(Yonhap News)