A to Z of Popular Sports in Korea

Archery

Archery in Korea dates back to the misty days of prehistory, with the founder king of the Goguryeo Kingdom being the first recorded expert archer. Practiced as a skill for hunting and warfare, archery has developed into a recreational sport, but its importance lies in the traditional significance it has played throughout Korea's history.

Interest in archery gained sudden boost when Kim Jin-ho, a young high school girl, won the individual Asian crown in December 1978 in the Bangkok Asian Games. She then went on to win five out of six gold medals in the 30th World Archery Championships in Berlin held in July 1979.

Korea garnered one gold and one bronze medal in archery at 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. At the 24th Olympiad in Seoul in 1988, Korean archers won a total of three gold medals in the men's team, the women's individual and the women's team event; two silver medals in the men and women's individual; and one bronze in women's individual competition. Kim Soo-nyung, already a two-gold medalist in the 1988 Olympics, demonstrated her skill again by capturing two gold medals in the 35th World Archery Championships.

Cho Yun-jeong and Kim Soo-nyung won the gold and silver medals, respectively, in the women's Olympic round at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. Korea also garnered the women's team gold, making Cho a double gold medalist in Barcelona, and Kim, a record Olympic medalist with three golds and one silver.

Kim Kyung-wook won the gold medal in women's individual division in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Korean women's team also won the gold medal and Oh Kyo-moon and the men's team won the bronze and silver medal in Atlanta. Kim also became a double gold medalist in Atlanta.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Korea garnered five medals including three golds. Women archers swept all the medals in the women/individual event and won gold in the women/team. Yoon Mi-jin became a double gold medalist. Men took gold in the team competition. At the 2001 Beijing World Championships, Korea took six medals including three golds; men/individual, men/team, and women/ individual.

As a result of past success, Korea is recognized as one of the strongest nations in the world in the field of archery.

Badminton

With the establishment of the Korean Badminton Association in 1957, badminton has gained a popular following nationwide. The first national tournament was held in December 1957.

During the 1980s, Korean badminton recorded significant victories in the international arena. Hwang Sun-ae won the women's singles in the 1981 All England Open Championships, one of the major tournaments in the world. Korea also took championship titles in the Fourth World Badminton Championships, and at the Canada Badminton Championships, both held in Calgary, Canada.

At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, badminton was a demonstration sport. In Barcelona, where badminton was first recognized as an official sport of the Olympic Games, Korea won two gold medals in men's and women's doubles. In 1991, Koreans took three gold medals home from the Seventh World Badminton Champion-ships and at the Second Sudriman Cup Badminton Championships.

During the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, Korea won two gold medals in the women/singles and mixed double events. The gold medal holders were Bang Soo-hyun (single), Kim Dong-moon and Gil Young-ah (double), respectively.

In the 2002 Sydney Olympic Games, Korea received two medals, silver and bronze, in the men/doubles. During the All England Open Championships in 2000 and again in 2002, Kim Dong-moon and Ha Tae-kwon took the gold medals in the men/doubles event.

Recently in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korea took nine medals including four golds in seven Badminton events.

Baseball

Baseball was first played by the YMCA staff and students at the German Language Institute in Korea in 1905. Thereafter, the sport became popular.

Baseball is one of the leading sports in Korea, at least in terms of the number of spectators it attracts. Baseball stadiums in Seoul are always packed with crowds whenever there are professional baseball league and nationwide high school baseball tournaments. There are more than 500 amateur baseball clubs throughout the nation.

College baseball has been gaining popularity recently as well. The Korean University Baseball Federation (KUBF) which separated from the Korea Baseball Association (KBA) in 1997, has been doing its best to develop college baseball in Korea.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Korean team took the bronze medal, and recently it won the gold medal in the 2002 Busan Asian Games.

A professional baseball league was inaugurated in 1982 with the participation of six teams, an event which was greeted with much enthusiasm. A seventh team was formed in 1986 and an eighth in 1989. Inspired by the popularity of baseball, Korea produced a number of star players for the U.S. and Japanese major leagues, such as Park Chan-ho, Kim Byung-hyun, Sun Dong-yeol, and Lee Jong-beom.

Basketball

Basketball was brought to Korea in 1903 by an American missionary named Philip L. Gillett. By the 1920s, it was being played nationwide. It is popular among both men and women, and Korean teams have a reputation of being among the best in Asia. Only recently, however, have they been faced with a serious challenge. The People's Republic of China, which won gold and silver medals in both men's and women's basketball at the 12th Asian Games in 1994, is now Korea's strongest rival.

Basketball has a strong following in Korea and Korean teams have performed well internationally. The Korean women's basketball team won the silver medal in the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984, and Koreans took first place for women and second place for men at the 12th Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994. In 1995, the Korean national basketball team won second place in the 16th ABC Championship for women and also secured a second place victory in the 18th ABC Championship for men in Seoul. In 1997, the Korean national women's basketball team won the 17th ABC Championship for Women 1997 in Bangkok.

The Korean national women's basketball team took the gold medal in the Second Busan East Asian Games in 1997; the men's basketball team, however, finished in second place.

The Korean women team took 4th place in the 2002 World Championships in Beijing, China. During the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the Korean men team won the gold medal and women received the silver medal.

Lately, pro-basketball is gaining large following among the younger generation. The Korean Professional Basketball League was inaugurated in 1997 with eight teams. There are presently 10 teams in the League and they play a 225-game season. Since 1997, a handful of foreign players have also been recruited to play in Korea.


Boxing

The first recorded boxing match in Korea took place in 1912. Today it is one of the most popular sports in Korea and is watched by millions of fans. There exists a rigid division between professional and amateur boxing, however, and each has its own association and rules. Nineteen Korean professional boxers have won world titles since Kim Ki-su took the World Boxing Association (WBA) junior middleweight title in 1966, Korean pro-boxers also held numerous titles of the Orient Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF), and many Koreans are continuously pressing for shots at world and Asian titles.

Since the London Olympic Games in 1948, Korean boxers have won three gold, six silver, and eight bronze medals. These include two golds, one silver and one bronze garnered in the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics. During the Asian Games, more than half of the boxing championships have been won by Korean boxers. In the Ninth 1982 Asian Games, for example, Korean boxers won gold medals in six different weight divisions; in 1986, Korean boxers swept all 12 weight divisions. Recently in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korean boxers took 10 medals including 3 golds.

Cycling

Cycling was introduced to Korea at the turn of the century, and the first cycling competition was held in 1906. It became popular in the mid-1910s. Cho Deok-haeng won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in 1982 and Shin Dae-cheol also won a bronze in the individual road race at the Universiade in 1983. In 1985, Korean cyclists swept the 12th Asian Championships with 11 gold medals. Korea placed second at the 15th Asian Championships held in Beijing in 1991, garnering four gold, three silver and six bronze medals, while younger Koreans took first place at the Junior Championships that was held concurrently in Beijing.

During the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korea took 13 medals including five golds.

There are more than 300,000 people who enjoy speed cycling, but only about 1,000 of them are registered with the Korean Cycling Competition League as active participants.

Field Hockey

Korean field hockey originated with the traditional Korean sport, gyeokgu, which was played on horseback beginning in the 11th century. During the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), it enjoyed wide popular appeal among the people and was one of the tests for selecting high-level warriors.

The first modern hockey tournament in Korea took place in December 1947. Since then, Korean hockey has developed rapidly. In the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, both the men's and women's teams won gold medals. The women's team won the silver medal at both the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. The men's hockey team finished in fifth place at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. In the 1999 World Champions Trophy in Australia, the Korean men's team took the 2nd place. During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the Korean men's team took the 2nd place and the silver medal. During the 4th World Cup in Argentina, the Korean junior women team finished in 1st place. Recently in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, the men's team grabbed the gold medal and the women's team won the silver medal.

Football (Soccer)

One of the most popular sports in Korea is football. Since modern football was introduced in 1882 by the crews of British warships, the popularity of football among the Korean people has increased to the extent that Korea was chosen to co-host the 2002 World Cup with Japan.

Korea's achievements at the 2002 World Cup was nothing short of phenomenal. After earning their first World Cup victory against Poland, the "Taegeuk Warriors" began to rewrite the country's footballing history. They defeated Portugal to advance to the second round, followed by an epic win over Italy to clinch a place in the quarterfinals, and finally a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain to move to the semi-finals. These surprise achievements and millions of "Red Devil" supporters on the street had greatly impressed the soccer fans throughout the world, and they elected Korea as the most entertaining team of the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan.

Korean national soccer team again showed fighting sprit in the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany. The team had drawn global attention with its one-win, one-draw, one-loss showing against Togo, France and Switzerland, though it was unable to proceed to the second round of the match. Now, the squad is set to prepare for a new challenge: the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa.

Korea has been a strong power in Asian football for a long time. Enjoying record wins for international football matches among the Asian countries, Korea has qualified for World Cup finals six times, including five straight appearances since 1986.

Professional football in Korea began in 1983 with two professional teams (Hallelujah, Yugong) and three amateur teams (POSCO, Daewoo, Kookmin Bank) forming the nucleus of what is now the K-League. By 1987, five professional teams - Daewoo, POSCO, Yugong, Hyundai and LG - were involved in a professional-only league. Ilhwa joined the league in 1989, increasing its membership to six. These six teams competed against each other until 1994 when Jeonbuk Hyundai joined the league. They were followed by Jeonnam Dragons in 1995 and Suwon Samsung in 1996. The addition of three more teams encouraged a more professional approach by the League. In 1997, the Daejeon Citizen team became the K-League's 10th team, giving the league respectability and status internationally.

Golf

Before the Korean War broke out in 1950, Korean golfers numbered but a handful. Today, participation in the "royal and ancient sport" is estimated to be over 2 million players, and golf's popularity is expected to grow steadily. With the improvement in the standard of living, golf is no longer regarded as a sport only for the privileged and well-to-do.

At present, there are 130 golf courses in Korea, usually called country clubs, which are managed on a membership-based system. In the 1996 World Amateur Golf Team Championship held in Manila, the Korean ladies team won the champion trophy, the Espirito Cup. During the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, Korea garnered five medals including the 1st place in the women/team event.

After Pak Se-ri became the youngest winner of the McDonald's LPGA Championships and the U.S. Women's Open in 1998, many professional golfers have entered international tournaments held in both the U.S.A. and Japan. Some of them such as Pak Se-ri, Kim Mi-hyun, Grace Park and Choi Kyung-ju continue to win LPGA and the PGA tournaments.

Gymnastics

Gymnastics in Korea has moved into the foreground of the Korean sports scene. Korean gymnasts have shown tremendous improvement in recent years, as they demonstrated in the 1986 Asian Games, where the Korean team won a surprising three gold medals. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Park Chong-hun took a bronze medal, the first Olympic medal for Korea in gymnastics.

Yoo Ok-yul won two gold medals in the World Gymnastic Championships, in 1991 and again in 1992. Lee Jang-hyung took the gold medal in the 1994 Asian Games. Yeo Hong-chul, a gold medalist in the 1994 Asian Games, won the silver in the 1996 Olympic Games. In the 1999 World Championships in China, Lee Joo-hyeong took one gold and one silver medal

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Lee Joo-hyeong took home a bronze medal. Recently in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korean gymnasts won nine medals including three golds.

Handball

There was little interest in the sport of handball in Korea until the 1986 Seoul Asian Games when the Korean men's team took the gold medal.

Enthusiasm stirred by that performance led to wider participation, increased training and support for handball. That effort paid off handsomely during the 1988 Seoul Olympics, where the Korean women's team took the gold medal. The women's team repeated its victory at Barcelona by defeating Norway in the final round.

The increased interest in handball led to Korea's selection as the host country for the 10th World Women's Championships in November 1990.

Another remarkable achievement of handball in Korea was the winning of the 12th World Women's Championships in December 1995 in Austria/Hungary. Following that victory, the Korean women's team took the silver medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic games. In the 2002 Busan Asian Games, both the men and women team grabbed the gold medals.

Judo

Japanese judo, the refined and advanced development of old Korean martial arts forms, was reintroduced to Korea in 1907 and has attracted the wide participation of Korean athletes and sports-minded men and women. Judo facilities have been established in every part of the country. A judo college was also established in Yong-in near Seoul and many high schools and colleges have adopted judo as an official school sport.

Korean judoists have turned in outstanding performances at Olympic competitions and at other events. They took one silver and two bronze medals in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games; two golds, two silvers, and one bronze in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; two golds, one silver and three bronzes in the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, and one gold, one silver and two bronze medals in the 1992 Games in Barcelona. Korea swept the judo matches in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics by winning two gold, four silver and two bronze medals. The two champions were Cheon Ki-yeong in the men's 86kg, and Cho Min-seon in the women's 66kg category.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Korea took five medals including two silver; Jo In-cheol and Cheong Bu-gyeong. In the 2001 World Championships in Germany, Korea won five medals incuding one gold; Jo In-cheol in the 81kg division. Recently in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korean team grabbed 14 medals including four golds.

Mountaineering

The number of Korean mountaineers has skyrocketed in recent years, reaching over 5 million in 1997, a considerable increase from some 40,000 mountaineers recorded in 1962. The increase of middle- and old-aged hikers was the characteristic trend of the 1990s.

At present, there are two mountaineering associations in Korea. One is called the Korean Alpine Federation, the other the Korean Alpine Club. These two associations are also UIAA (The Union of International Alpine Association) members and oversee about 5,000 alpine clubs nationwide. The total number of combined individual members is over 100,000.

Every mountain in the suburbs of a city, especially on weekends, is filled with hikers and mountaineers, including many older climbers in their 60s. Korean enthusiasm for climbing increased sharply when Ko Sang-don reached the summit of the Mt. Everest in September 1977. Later Jang Bong-wan's ascent of the second highest peak, K2, in 1986 and Nam Sun-woo and Jang Bong-wan's second successful ascent of Mt. Everest in 1988, have greatly popularized mountaineering as a national sport.

In 1995, Korean mountaineers accomplished the ascent of a total of 14 Himalayan summits of over 8,000 meters. The Korean women's expedition team also successfully ascended Mt. Everest in 1993. Members of that team included Ji Hyun-ok, Kim Soon-ju and Choi Oh-soon. In 2000, Eom Hong-gil became the first Asian to accomplish the ascent of a total of 14 Himalayan summits of over 8,000 meters. In 2001, Park Yeong-seok became the second Asian to accomplish it.

Another important development in Korean mountaineering was the establishment of the Union of Asian Alpine Association (UAAA) in 1995. In 1997, the North Korean Mountaineering Association also became a member of UAAA at the council meetings in Islamabad under the support of the Korean Alpine Federation.

In addition to organizing expeditions, Korean mountaineers also have began to expand their interests into such fields as wall climbing and alpine style climbing. Nowadays, competition climbing is a popular sports among young mountaineers.

Shooting

Shooting has also become a popular sport in Korea recently. Rifle contests are a standard feature of most amateur shooting competitions, while skeet shooting is largely the province of the well-to-do.

Korea hosted the 42nd World Shooting Championships in 1978, the first time ever for an Asian nation to take on such a role. The Taeneung International Shooting Range, the site of the world tourney, has up-to-date facilities and beautiful natural surroundings. The Seoul tournament saw the use of an electronic scoring system for the first time in the 300-meter event.

During the First Asian Ladies and Junior Shooting Championships, held in Seoul in September 1977, Korea's shooters won 13 of the 14 gold medals. Korea also successfully hosted the First World Airgun Shooting Championships in 1979. Korean shooters won three gold medals in the 1982 Asian Games and seven in 1986. During the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Cha Young-chul won a silver medal for the first time in the Olympic Games. In the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Yeo Kap-sun and Lee Eun-cheol each grabbed a gold in their respective shooting event.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Kang Cho-hyeon won a silver medal in the airgun 10M event. Recently in the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korea took 29 medals including six golds.

Skating

Winter sports have been popular in Korea from the beginning of the 20th century until the division of the country in 1945. Because of climatic conditions, skating was traditionally more popular in the northern half of the peninsula.

In recent years, however, there has been increased interest in ice skating, both as a competitive and recreational sport in South Korea, despite the shorter winter season. This also has been true for other winter sports activities, although skating has been the most popular of these winter activities.

An artificial skating rink, with a 400-meter track, was built in Seoul in the early 1970s. At the end of the 1980s, a large indoor rink was constructed in the Mok-dong area of Seoul, and quickly became the site for performances by international stars. This renewed interest has resulted in an increase in the number of people going to skating arenas for recreation, which have in turn boosted Korean skaters' achievements in competitive events.

The performances of Koreans in the recent Winter Olympics have been outstanding. They particularly excelled in the short-track, probably because Koreans have the ideal physique for that category. In the 1992 Alberville Olympiad, they won two golds, one silver and one bronze. The Korean team swept up four golds, one silver and one bronze at the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. During the 18th Olympics in Nagano, Kim Dong-seong won the men's 10,000-meter short track, Jeon I-gyeong, the women's 10,000-meter short track, and the Korean women's team, the 30,000-meter relay, to make their combined medal count three golds, one silver and two bronzes, respectively.

During the 19th Olympics in Salt Lake City, Ko Ki-hyeon won the women's 1500-meter short track and Korean women's team, 3000-meter relay, to make their combined medal count four, including two golds. The cumulative medal count in the last four Olympics is 20, including 11 golds. Kim Dong-seong whose 1st place finish had been unexpectedly invalidated in the 19th Olympics won all five gold medals in the Salt Lake City World Champion-ships. These impressive showings amply demonstrates how fast Koreans' skating skills have developed.

Skiing

Skiing was introduced to Korea in the 1920s by a foreign missionary. Just a decade ago, it was the sport of only a handful of well-to-do youngsters who lived near the hilly slopes of Gangwon-do province. However, in recent years the situation has changed. The number of skiers is increasing annually. It is estimated that about 1,300,000 currently enjoy skiing. Ski resorts now are equipped with snow-making machines, which have extended the skiing season from two to four months (December to March).

At the 3rd Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, Korean skiers took one gold medal, two silver medals and one bronze medal. During the 4th Asian Winter Games in Yongpyeong, Korea, Korea garnered five medals including three golds; Yoo Hyeo-in, one and Hur Seung-wook, two. The Korea Ski Association has held many International Ski Competitions during the skiing season since 1991. As a result, skiing has become quite a popular winter sport in Korea.

Swimming

Before the 1970 Asian Games, interest in competitive swimming was relatively low. That year, however, two Korean swimmers won three gold medals in a major regional event and enthusiasm for the sports has developed rapidly ever since.

Choi Yun-hee, a young high school girl, won three gold medals for the backstroke in the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games, and two gold medals in the 1986 Asian Games. Cho Oh-ryun, who captured four gold medals in both Asian Games, succeeded in swimming across the Korea Strait in 1980 and the English Channel in 1982. Both Ji Sang-joon and Bang Seung-hun won gold at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games in the 100-meter backstroke and the 400-meter freestyle competitions respectively. For the first time in Korean swimming history, Ji Sang-joon and Lee Chang-ha participated in the B-finals of the 200-meter backstroke at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Recently during the 14th Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea won 11 medals including a gold in the 50-meter free style by Kim Min-seok.

Various national, regional and international events have spurred interest in competitive swimming, while swimming for fun and as a means of physical conditioning has also become increasingly popular.

A number of promising teenage swimmers are making their debut in this sport each year and new records are being made and broken every season.

Table Tennis

In recent years, Asian table tennis has been receiving increasing attention and acclaim. As in other countries of the Pacific region, there is great enthusiasm for the game in Korea. Since it was introduced in the 1920s, Korean table tennis has improved steadily, reaching its climax in 1973 when the Korean women's team won the World Table Tennis Championships in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.

Since then, Korean women have advanced to the finals of the world championships in 1975, 1977 and 1981, only to be beaten out by China. In the 1983 Championships, they brought home one silver medal in the singles event and a bronze in 1985 team event. "In the 1986 Asian Games, the Korean team surprised the table tennis world and the "unbeatable" Chinese by winning three of the seven gold medals in the men's singles, the men's team and the women's team events. Riding on a wave of enthusiasm, the Koreans won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. In the 1990 Beijing Asian Games, the men's team and the women's team each took home a gold medal. Korean women won a gold at the 1991 World Championships as well. After winning five bronze medals at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, Koreans won four medals at the 1993 World Championships, an event which was highlighted by Hyun Jung-hwa's bringing home the gold in the women's singles.

In the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, the Korean team won one gold in the men's doubles event, two silvers in men's team and men's double events and four bronze medals. At the 1995 World Championships in Tianjin, the Korean women's team won one silver medal, while two bronze medals were won in the men's and mixed doubles events. Koreans also brought home two bronze medals in the men's doubles and the women's doubles in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the Korean women team won one bronze medal in the doubles event. Recently in the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea won two gold in the both of men's and women's doubles events and took three silver and three three bronzes.

Taekwondo

Taekwondo is a self-defense martial art that developed in Korea during the last 2000 years of the nation's history. In recent times, taekwondo has become a Korean national sport and has spread rapidly to many foreign countries. Some 20,000 Korean instructors are teaching the sport in more than 165 countries.

In Korea, the Taekwondo Association has a membership of about 4,800,000, constituting the largest affiliate of the Korea Sports Council. Kukkiwon is the headquarters of the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF), located in Seoul. The WTF was officially approved as the world controlling body of the sport by the International Olympic Committee in 1980.

There have been 15 World Championships since 1973; the first two, the seventh, the ninth, and the 15th were held in Seoul. The United States, West Germany, Britain, Ecuador and Denmark were among the other host countries.

Taekwondo was adopted as a regular event in the 10th Asian Games, and it was adopted as a demonstration event in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Taekwondo became an official event at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Korea was allowed to participate in four divisions, and took three gold medals, Lee Sun-hee, Chung Jae-eun, and Kim Kyeong-hoon and one silver medal, Shin Joon-sik. Recently during the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korea won 16 medals in 16 divisions; 12 golds, three silvers and one bronze.

Tennis

Introduced to Korea around the turn of the 20th century, tennis has become a highly popular participant sport for people of all ages. A tennis club was formed in Seoul in 1902. There now are more than 120 private tennis clubs in the Seoul metropolitan area alone. Other tennis facilities are often found in the sprawling apartment complexes of southern Seoul.

Korea's tennis players have reached the level where they can compete in internationally ranked games. While Korea's women outshone the men in earlier Asian Games, it was the men who excelled in the 1986 Seoul Asian Games, winning four gold medals to the women's one. The men then went on during the same week to defeat Japan for the first time in the Davis Cup Eastern Zone Final.

Recently during the 2002 Busan Asian Games, Korea took seven medals including one gold medal in the women's individual double event.

Track and Field

The track and field competition, considered by many to be the premier events of the international sports scene, was introduced to Korea in the early part of the 20th century. By the 1920s and 1930s, a number of outstanding long-distance runners have come onto the scene, even though a nationwide athletics association was not formed until 1945, when the close of World War II brought an end to Japan's colonial rule.

The track highlight of those early years took place at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, where two Korean runners, Sohn Kee-jung and Nam Sung-yong, took the gold and bronze medals in the marathon, respectively. Because of Korea's colonial status, however, they were forced to compete under the Japanese flag, not under the flag of their homeland. Sohn, the gold medalist, was able to recapture some of that denied glory for Korea at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games when he became the runner designated to make the entry into the packed stadium bearing the Olympic torch.

The Boston Marathon of 1947 was won by Seo Yun-bok, another Korean runner, and Koreans swept first, second and third places in the Boston Marathon of 1950. Hwang Young-cho captured the gold medal in men's marathon in the 1992 Barcelona Olympiad. Lee Bong-ju's silver medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and his subsequent victory at the 50th Fukuoka International Marathon herald a bright future for Korean runners. In the 1998 Rotterdam race, Lee finished second with 2 hours seven minutes and 44 seconds.

The 1986 Asian Games in Seoul saw Korean athletes take seven gold medals in track and field. Four of them were in the men's competition: the 200-meter run, the 1,500-meter events and the long jump. In the high jump, Lee Jin-taek scored several wins in recent international competitions. In the women's events, outstanding performances were turned in by a young Korean girl, Lim Chun-ae, who won gold medals in the 800-meter, the 1,500-meter and the 3,000-meter races. Recently in the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea won six medals including three golds; Lee Jin-taek in the men's high jump, Lee Myeong-sun in the women's javelin throw and Lee Bong-ju in the men's marathon.

As a result of Korea's performance during the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Summer Olympics, Seoul was selected as the host city for the Fourth World Junior Athletic Championships that was held in September 1992.

Volleyball

Volleyball was introduced to Korea in 1917 through the YMCA, and the first national game was held in 1925. The skill of Korean players has improved rapidly since the Fifth Asian Games in 1966, when both Korean men's and women's teams won second place, respectively.

The Korean women's volleyball team captured a bronze medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympics trailing the Soviet Union and Japan. It was the first Olympic medal the Koreans had ever won in a ball game. In 1977 and 1981, Korean girls took the championships in the First and Second World Junior Volleyball Games. In 1980, Korea hosted the First Asian Junior Volleyball Championships and the Korean boys' and girls' teams both clinched the gold, defeating the pre-tournament favorite, Japan. In the 1986 Asian Games, Korea's men won a silver and the women a bronze medal. Recently in the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea men took gold medal and women, silver.

Korea's performance in recent years has prompted a number of foreign countries to invite Korean coaches to train their players. They include West Germany, Canada, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Egypt and some Middle Eastern countries.

Weightlifting

Since its introduction to Korea in the late 1920s, weightlifting has become popular throughout the country. The Korea Weightlifting Federation was formed in 1936.

When Korea took part in 1948 London Olympics, a weightlifter took the bronze medal. This was the first time that a Korean player ever won a medal in an international sports event under the Korean flag. Korea garnered one silver and one bronze medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and took home one gold medal for Barcelena. The Barcelona gold medalist Chun Byung-kwan won another gold in the World Champion-ships in 1991; his compatriots added two more bronze medals. Recently in the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea won six medals including one gold; Song Jong-sik in the men's 85kg division.

Wrestling

Wrestling was introduced in Korea to 1935 by a Korean student who had returned home from Japan. It has produced some top-flight participants and has drawn an enthusiastic following both in the free and Greco-Roman style competition. Korea took two gold medals, one silver, four bronzes at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and nine in the 1986 Asian Games. In the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Korean wrestlers secured two golds, two silvers and five bronzes. In the 1990 Asian Games, 11 gold medals out of 20 went to Korean wrestlers. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics saw Korea win two gold medals, one silver and one bronze; Korea took home one gold and three silver medals from the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

During the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, Korea won four medals; Shim Kwon-ho, gold in the 54kg Greco-Roman style, Moon Ui-je, silver in the 76kg free style, Kim In-seop, silver in the 58kg Greco-Roman style, and Chang Jae-seong, bronze in the 63kg free style. Recently in the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea won 22 medals including six golds.

Yachting

Yachting was introduced to Korea in 1932 by American missionaries, but was not an active sport until the Korea Yachting Association was established in 1978. The association dispatched a Korean team to the World OK Dinghy-Class Yachting Championships held in Sweden in 1980, which marked Korea's first participation in an international yachting competition.

Since Korea has the appropriate natural settings and the potential to improve yacht production technology, observers believe yachting will grow both as a leisure and competitive sport. Its popularity was boosted by the construction of a marina in the southern port city of Busan for the 1986 Asian Games and the 1988 Olympics. Korea won two gold medals at the 1986 Asian Games. Recently in the Busan Asian Games in 2002, Korea won 10 medals including six golds.