Oh Chang-seok, the late marathon director of “Oh Joo-han’s Korean Father,” has been designated as a sports merit in Korea

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the “1st Korea Sports Merit Designation Review Committee in 2023” on the 21st and designated the late coach Oh Chang-seok, who died of blood cancer in May 2021 while discovering and guiding Oh Joo-han from Kenya, as a Korean sports meritorious person. The late coach Oh Chang-seok devoted himself to the development of the Korean marathon by working as a marathon director of the Korean Armed Forces Sports Unit, as a Gumi City Hall, as a national marathon coach, and as a director of the Korea Athletics Federation for 26 years from 1995 to April 2021.

In particular, when he was the head coach of the Q Ray Marathon Team, he set up a camp in Albuquerque, the U.S., for Korean athletes’ high-altitude training, served as a local guide for off-season training, and contributed greatly to improving their records. He naturalized Oh Joo-han from Kenya and returned home from his visa extension during the Kena Gosan off-season training with the aim of winning a marathon medal for the first time in 24 years, but he developed symptoms of high fever pneumonia during self-isolation of COVID-19 and worsened to sepsis, and died in May 2021 at the age of 59 due to recurrence of blood cancer, a chronic disease during treatment.

On November 10, the Seoul Administrative Court’s administrative department 3 (senior judge Choi Soo-jin) ruled in favor of the plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by the late coach Oh’s bereaved family against the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to cancel the rejection of the designation of sports merit, saying, “It is judged that there is a significant causal relationship between Oh’s death and the Olympic guidance.” In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism convened a judging committee and decided that Oh Chang-seok, the late coach, was a sports merit in Korea, considering that he went to the highlands of Kenya to perform well in the Olympics as a national coach, went on field training to improve his performance in the Olympics, did not receive medical treatment in time due to the spread of COVID-19 and poor medical conditions there. The government will provide 1.2 million won to 1.4 million won in pension, education expenses and employment incentives per month to the bereaved family of the late coach Oh. 토토

The Korea Sports Merit Act, which was the basis for the support, was enacted in 2015 by Lee Ailesa, a former lawmaker who was recently appointed as co-chairman of the National Sports Policy Committee under the “Sarajevo Table Tennis Legend,” and Kim So-young, a former member of the national gymnastics team at the 1986 Asian Games in Seoul, and Kim Hyung-chil, the late member of the national team who died during the equestrian event at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, were designated as Korea’s first and second sports meritorious persons. It is a grounding law that allows national athletes or leaders to be designated as national meritorious persons to take responsibility, honor and support them at the national level if they have to live with disabilities that are difficult to live with due to death or serious injuries during training or international games.

Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said, “The late national marathon coach Oh Chang-seok contributed his life to the development of the country’s marathon, and in particular, he died after trying to raise the status of the country’s marathon by winning an Olympic medal.” The government promised to continue to honor the high will of the late coach Oh Chang-seok and provide support according to the designation of the Korean sports merit so that he can provide a little help to the remaining bereaved families.” He added, “We will expand the welfare of sportsmen, including support for the Korean sports merit and medical expenses, so that leaders and athletes who are doing their best on the front lines can exercise with confidence on behalf of the country.”