Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has been elected to lead the ethics body at the International Olympic Committee.

Ban, who served as the UN leader from January 2007 to December 2016, was the only candidate to succeed outgoing chairman Youssoupha Ndiaye. He received 74 of the 78 valid votes cast at the IOC Session in Lima, Peru, on Thursday (local time).

The 73-year-old South Korean was recommended by the IOC Executive Board to be its new chair of the Ethics Commission in July.

"I believe that ethics is essential to the success of any organization," Ban said at the IOC Session. "That is why I did everything possible to strengthen the culture of ethics at the United Nations. I promoted transparency and accountability in every way I could, and I tried to lead by example.” 

The Ethics Commission, an independent body, will set a framework of ethical principles and look into the cases that violate the IOC Code of Ethics. It can also propose measures or sanctions to the IOC Executive Board regarding unethical incidents.

The commission is composed of nine members, including four IOC members.

"I am truly humbled to serve the IOC through this role," Ban said. "Together let us do even more to harness the immeasurable potential of sport to foster a better world."

IOC President Thomas Bach said that the Olympic body is "honored" to see Ban accept the job.

"It shows the trust and standing this commission enjoys within and outside the world of sport," he said.

One of the commission's immediate tasks will be a vote-buying scandal in the Olympic Games biddings, which involves some IOC members.

Meanwhile, Ban emphasized that the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games in South Korea next year will be a safe event despite situations surrounding the Korean Peninsula with North Korea's provocations. The former South Korean foreign minister said the Seoul government is closely working with the UNSC. (Yonhap)