King, who earlier this year launched a failed campaign for AIBA Presidency against current incumbent C K Wu of Taiwan, yesterday wrote a letter addressed to boxing friends and family in which he said he would not attend the Congress and that leaders of the organisation were deceptive.

However, Kim, who is also chief executive of the new World Series of Boxing (WSB), said he feels King should have come here to make his objections in person rather than through a letter.

"In the democratic world we live in, you should take the opportunities you have to participate in debates where you have the right to express your views," said Kim.

"If you refuse to do that, it means you refuse to enter into a democracy.

"We were prepared to answer any questions from any EC members who have a difference of opinion from us and we were very happy to welcome them to participate in important debates.

"Therefore, it is very sad we have lost the opportunity to have Mr King here to help give him a correct understanding, because somehow, he has misunderstandings.

"For example, he criticises the president for paying for a first-class airline ticket [to attend the AIBA World Youth Championships in Azerbaijan] but he should know that all costs for the President's fees for such events are totally covered by the Organising Committee so it does not cost anything for AIBA at all.

"The President's participation at major events such as these is also crucial for the stature of competitions and sincerely requested by the hosts, so that is why the Organising Committee is so keen to pay for him to attend.

"I feel we have missed the opportunity to explain things like this to Mr King and to correct his understanding but I hope someday we will have another chance to.

"But for his part, he should not mislead the boxing family around the world.

"If he continues, I think AIBA has to protect them by going after him and saying: 'Why are you telling people the wrong information and giving them the wrong image?'

"We have to tackle the issue very seriously if he continues to mislead."

Kim added that he believes the points King looked to attack AIBA on are invalid.

He said: "Now, finance matters are always easy to target when you are looking to attack somebody, but I assure you that AIBA, for the last four years, has been run in a purely transparent way.

"I have even offered my own salary and expenses in the Congress report which Mr King had the full right to dispute here in Almaty if he had wished to.

"But by tomorrow he would have lost his position as AIBA Executive Committee member and therefore his right to question decisions at AIBA Congress events.

"He also accuses us of suspending federations from the Congress unfairly when they have not paid their $250 (£158) annual fees, but that is wrong.

"Every federation knows the deadlines and we send so many reminders to them about paying those fees, even when we do not hear an explanation from them on why they do not pay.

"We must enforce the rules that state you should pay fees.

"This is not for money but so that we don't have chaos, because without enforcing rules people can just do whatever they like.

"We must keep disciplining rule breakers until all federations follow the rules and then we will have all 196 federations participating at the Congress.

"That is our goal."

Kim added that King has not burnt all his bridges with AIBA and that the organisation is always ready to welcome back any federation or individual who have disagreed with them in the past.

"AIBA is like the mother company and the national federations are like the children," he said.

"Whenever children do bad things, parents always forgive.

"We have never attacked anyone but Paul King has always looked to attack AIBA.

"We have always just accepted his attacks and remained silent.

"He is always angry with us but we are always ready to forgive and to embrace our old friends.

"We don't look to punish, we look to explain, to provide understanding and to clear up any misunderstandings there have been."

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