In light of the latest match-fixing scandal in local professional sports, the government said Wednesday it will form a new supervisory body, involving all major sports leagues, to handle further game-rigging schemes.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said it convened an emergency meeting of senior officials from professional baseball, football, volleyball and basketball leagues to discuss their collective response to the match-fixing scandal in basketball.

Earlier this week, Kang Dong-hee, former head coach of the Dongbu Promy in the Korean Basketball League, was arrested on match-fixing charges.

Prosecutors believe he took cash from two gambling brokers in exchange for throwing games during the 2010-11 season.

Kang resigned on Tuesday, a day after he was taken into custody. He was the first active head coach of a South Korean professional sports team to come under match-rigging suspicions.

Before the KBL, the football, baseball and volleyball leagues had already dealt with match-fixing scandals, with dozens of players getting lifetime bans from their sports.

In a statement, the ministry said the sports leagues have agreed to form a council tasked with responding to match-fixing.

“This new body will integrate some of the functions previously handled individually by each league, such as investigating match-fixing allegations and educating athletes,” the ministry said.

“The council will be quick on its feet and will be sustainable.” (Yonhap News)