CELEBRATING SOUTH KOREA IN THE 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
Athletes from North Korea and South Korea take a selfie after the Table Tennis Mixed Doubles medal matches in Paris.- Jean Catuffe/Getty Images
CELEBRATING SOUTH KOREA IN THE 2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
By SHARON STERN
South Korea is celebrating incredible success at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. We want to join in the celebration and congratulate the South Korean athletes for their 32 medals.
The history of South Korea’s participation in the Olympics stretches back to 1948. Two Koreans (Sohn Kee-Chung and Nam Sung-yong) won medals in the men’s marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but because Korea was under Japanese occupation, the gold and bronze medals were credited to Japan. We encourage you to read the athlete’s stories, because they are truly inspiring.
In 1988, Seoul hosted the Summer Olympics. This was really the world debut of an emerging democracy, on the heels of massive demonstrations the year before that forced the military dictatorship to hold open elections for the first time. The Seoul Olympics brought the super powers together for the first time since 1976 to compete at an Olympics. This Olympics brought the country enormous pride and boosted South Korea’s image around the world. The theme song, “Hand in Hand,” was translated into several languages and topped music charts around the world for weeks. South Korea won a total of 33 medals at their Olympics.
South Korea also hosted the 2108 Winter Pyeongchang Olympics. North and South Korea entered the stadium together as a unified Korea, despite very icy relations between the two. They also played on a single, unified women’s ice hockey team. South Korea won a total of 17 medals at the Pyeonchang Olympics.
Oh Sang-uk of South Korea celebrates winning gold medal against Fares Ferjani of Tunisia at the Paris 2024 Olympics in the Grand Palais, Paris, France, on July 27, 2024./Reuters Yonhap News
Fast forward to 2024. The Republic of Korea sent their smallest delegation to the 2024 Paris Olympics since 1976. There were initially low expectations and general pessimism about the country’s podium chances. The overall goal was to win five gold medals. They did that in just three days, including winning in the first medal event! South Korea won 32 medals overall, 13 of which were gold. They placed eighth in the medal ranking.
Getty Images-Charles McQuillan
South Korea medaled in archery (7), badminton (2), boxing (1), fencing (3), judo (5), modern pentathlon (1), shooting (6), swimming (1), table tennis (2), taekwondo (3 – first gold medal ever), weightlifting (1). Shooter Kim Ye-ji became an internet sensation overnight. No, not because Elon Musk tweeted about her, but because of her cool, don’t-mess-with-me demeanor. Athletes from the North and South shared a moment of celebration in the medal ceremony for the mixed team table tennis, where they won silver and bronze respectively. Lim Si-hyeon won three gold medals in archery. Oh Sang-uk won two gold medals in sabre fencing.
Ban Hyo-jin raises her rifle in triumph after winning the gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle final at the Châteauroux Shooting Center during the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 29, 2024./Yonhap News
17-year-old Ban Hyo-jin was the youngest medalist of the delegation with her gold in the 10-meter air rifle. The oldest medalist was Gu Bon-gil, a 35-year-old fencer, whose wife gave birth to their second son while he was in Paris. You can find a list of everyone from South Korea that won a medal here.
Kyoto International High School celebrates as they won the famous Japanese High School Baseball Championship Aug. 23, 2024 (Kyodo News via AP).
And as we write this, the ethnic Korean high school baseball team, Kyoto International High School, in Japan has won Japan’s famous Japanese High School Baseball Championship baseball tournamentbaseball tournament, also known as Summer Koshien, for the first time. This is Japan’s equivalent to the U.S. World Series. It is another reminder of the Korean diaspora in Japan and the lasting effects of Japanese colonization.
The Kyoto International High School was originally established in 1947 for Japan’s Korean population, many of whom were displaced to Japan as forced labor during the Japanese colonial rule.
The school is now recognized by education authorities in both Japan and South Korea. About one-quarter of the students have Korean roots. The school song with Korean lyrics was aired on NHK following the tradition of Koshien.
Congratulations to team South Korea for a fantastic showing at the 2024 Paris Olympics and beyond!
