The government's First Five-Year National Sports Promotion Plan was implemented 1993 through 1997 to improve the quality of life of citizens through sports. The plan was quite successful as the public interest in sports was raised after the 1988 Seoul Olympics. During this five-year period, the government invested 412 billion won and local governments and the private sector made comparable investments in sports-related projects.

Newly built facilities during the plan period included 49 stadiums, 74 gymnasiums, 17 swimming pools and 1,728 neighborhood sports facilities. The government also set up cultural and sports centers in 21 farming and fishing towns.

Funds were provided to various institutes to train nearly 40,000 sports-for-all instructors. Forty-two sports and fitness programs were also developed and 34,000 community sports clubs, including the ever-popular early morning soccer clubs, were sponsored with public funds.

There also has been active support for elite sports. Increasing assistance to nurturing and training national athletic teams has helped them earn top ranks at the Olympics and at other international competitions. A total of 1,915 highly qualified sports coaches were brought up through up-to-date expertise training in their respective fields.

In recent years, Korea has played host to a number of international sports competitions. In 1997, it sponsored the Winter Universiade Games at Muju and Jeonju. The Winter Asian Games took place in Korea in 1999 and the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan in 2002. In 2003, the Summer Universiad was held in Daegu, a southeastern provincial capital. Korea signed bilateral sports exchange agreements with China and 22 other countries, while making inter-NOC exchange arrangements with 41 countries.

With the successful completion of the First Five-Year National Sports Promotion Plan, the second phase was implemented from 1998 through 2002. The major objectives of the plan were to promote sports-for-all movement on a national scale which, it was believed, would also form the foundation for the advancement of elite sports. The plan also sought to develop new sports technology and information as well as sports industries.

To support the various programs, the government compiled a computer data-base system on the current status of sports in Korea, including promotional programs, coaches, and rate of sports participation by the general public.

In order to improve elite athletes' performance, the government renovated the national team's training facilities at Taeneung, eastern Seoul. The government's sports policies were largely based on the belief that building strong national teams that can compete successfully in the international arena require the nurturing of grassroots sports clubs in schools and communities. To help the operation of the nation's 50 sports federations, the government allocated 8 billion won per year. During the 2nd Five-Year Plan period, 324 billion won was used to recruit and train elite players and to subsidize various sports clubs in elementary and secondary schools.

One important aspect of the government's sports policies was to promote exchanges with North Korea. The Korean government has long been pushing sports exchanges with the North, believing that sport is one of the most effective means of reconciling the divided people. The government specifically requested North Korea to allow its sports leaders to visit South Korea and jointly organize a single team for international competitions. The Republic of Korea supported North Korea's bids to join various international sports organizations, including the World Mountain Climbers' Association and the Pan-Asian Boxing Association. Seoul proposed many times to form a single team composed of South and North Korean athletes to compete in international events.