Korean National Sports Festival returns to Jeju after 12 years... Hwang Sun-woo, Kim Woo-jin and Oh Sang-uk set to compete

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 National team stars including swimmers Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, archer Kim Woo-jin and fencer Oh Sang-uk will compete in the Korean National Sports Festival, which is being held in Jeju for the first time in 12 years. The 107th Korean National Sports Festival, with 30,599 people from delegations representing 17 cities and provinces across the country and overseas Korean sports organizations, gets underway on the 16th.
According to Jeju Special Self-Governing Province and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee on the 15th, the seven-day event will be held from the 16th to the 22nd at 74 venues, centered on Jeju. Athletes will compete for medals and regional pride in 50 sports: 49 official sports and one demonstration sport.
Jeju is hosting the Korean National Sports Festival for the first time in 12 years, since the 95th edition in 2014. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee is hosting the event, which is co-organized by Jeju Province, the Jeju Provincial Office of Education and the Jeju Sports Council.
The total number of participants is 30,599, including 19,576 athletes, 9,468 officials and 1,555 members of overseas Korean sports organizations. Athletes in the under-18, university and general divisions will compete as representatives of their respective regions.
Medal contests featuring national team athletes who have excelled in international competitions are also a major attraction.

Swimmers Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min, archer Kim Woo-jin, fencer Oh Sang-uk, weightlifter Park Hye-jeong, and sprinters Namadi Joeljin and Biewesa Daniel Kasama are among those competing. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee has selected events featuring national team athletes, events where competitors are aiming for multiple titles or new records, and key events involving promising young athletes as “Prime Events,” and is providing information for spectators.
The opening ceremony will be held at 6 p.m. on the 16th at Jeju World Cup Stadium in Seogwipo. Around 20,000 people, including athletes and spectators, are expected to attend, and spectator entry will begin at 3 p.m.
The opening ceremony, themed “The Great Breath,” will bring Jeju’s history and culture to the stage. It will begin with “Island, Echo of the Wind,” a joint performance by Jeju musicians, brass bands and a traditional folk troupe, followed by “Breath of Beginnings,” depicting Jeju’s creation myth, and “Flowers Embracing the Wind,” reflecting on a painful history and its overcoming, among other performances.
The torch that will herald the start of the Korean National Sports Festival also carries stories unique to Jeju. The official flame lit at Mani Mountain in Ganghwa on the 3rd and the special flame lit at Jeju Stone Park on the 13th were merged on the 14th. Around 900 residents are carrying the torch in a relay across 115 sections, including routes through Chuja, Biyang and Udo. The flame will be used to light the cauldron at the opening ceremony on the 16th.
For the first time in the history of the Korean National Sports Festival, this edition will also introduce digital admission tickets based on non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The tickets will be used for entry to the opening and closing ceremonies, and are planned to be linked to incentives for verified attendance and tourism benefits in Jeju.

Thirty-nine sports, including swimming, archery, athletics and fencing, which draw strong public interest, will be broadcast live or on a delayed basis on television and online platforms. The opening ceremony will be broadcast live on KBS 1TV.
Safety measures have also been strengthened. Jeju Province has completed the accreditation and approval process after repairing facilities at all 74 venues and conducting on-site inspections with the central governing bodies for each sport. The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, together with the Korea Sports Safety Foundation, will inspect venue facilities for 42 sports, emergency medical systems, fire safety facilities and spectator routes. Jeju Province, the provincial education office, the Jeju Sports Council and the Korean National Police Agency will oversee venue operations from the operations center at Jeju World Cup Stadium. A total of 3,500 volunteers will also be deployed on site.
Jeju will once again put its ability to manage large-scale sporting events to the test through the Korean National Sports Festival. Local spending by athletes and visitors, as well as figures on links between accommodation and tourism, will be key indicators for gauging the event’s impact on the regional economy.
Jeju Governor Wi Seong-gon said, “We will run the event safely so that athletes who have come from across the country can perform at their best,” and added, “I also ask residents to come to the venues and cheer on the delegations.”
Korean Sport & Olympic Committee President Ryu Seung-min said, “This is an event where you can see everyone from national team athletes to the next generation of promising competitors gathered in one place,” adding, “We will make the necessary preparations so that every athlete can perform in a safe and fair environment.”


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