Goheung-gun Holds Unveiling Ceremony for Statue of Kim Il from Geumsan

Expectations to Use Memorial for Late Athlete Kim Il as a Platform to Promote Professional Wrestling

[Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo] Jeonnam Goheung-gun (Governor Song Gwi-geun) and the Kim Il Memorial Project Association held an unveiling ceremony for the Kim Il statue at the Kim Il Memorial Gymnasium located in Geumsan-myeon on the 27th.

The unveiling ceremony was held with about 100 participants, including members of the Kim Il Memorial Project Association, under strict quarantine measures and compliance with COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

The late athlete Kim Il, a native of Geumsan, Goheung, was a Korean sports hero who dominated the domestic and international professional wrestling scene in the 1960s and 1970s, giving hope and courage to the public with his signature headbutt move.

The county established the statue, made of bronze and standing 5 meters tall, investing 440 million KRW as part of the 7th local government administration’s pledge to commemorate the late Kim Il, widely promote his status, and serve as a venue for the revival and promotion of the fading professional wrestling sport.

Kim Soon-gil, the operating committee chairman of the Kim Il Memorial Project Association, said, “Thanks to the passion of the association members and the county’s active support, we were finally able to build the long-awaited Kim Il statue.”

Governor Song Gwi-geun stated, “The county will do its best to ensure that Kim Il is remembered as a hero of Korea for a long time, and we hope that the subsequent construction of a promotional center will be well carried out to contribute to tourism revitalization.”

Goheung=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Shim Jeong-woo sevenshim@asiae.co.kr

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.