South Korea opens its first national museum dedicated to sports in Seoul, aiming to preserve and display the country’s athletic history. The National Sports Museum is located in Olympic Park in Songpa District, in a six-story building with two basement levels. Its collection is intended to document achievements that have shaped Korea’s sports identity and to provide public access to historic memorabilia.
The museum, established by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, houses about 70,000 sports-related artifacts and records. Featured items include the gold medal won by marathon runner Suh Yun-bok at the 1947 Boston Marathon, soccer shoes belonging to football pioneer Kim Yong-sik, and the uniform worn by Yang Jung-mo, South Korea’s first Olympic gold medalist. It also displays the torch from the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the hoop used in the opening ceremony. At the opening, officials from the culture and sports sector attend, including the culture, sports and tourism minister.
