Jeonbuk Provincial Sports Council, Jeonbuk's First Olympic Gold Medal... Donation of Sports Relics

Director Shin Junseop Donates 1984 LA Olympic Gold Medal and More

Badminton Hero Jeong Soyoung Joins Donation Ceremony, Adding Significance

Shin Jun-seop, an Olympic gold medalist and a legend of sports in Jeonbuk as well as a Korean sports hero who rewrote the history of Korean boxing, has donated sports memorabilia that he has cherished for 39 years to the Jeonbuk Provincial Sports Council. Shin Jun-seop, the 1984 LA Olympic gold medalist and current Secretary General of the Jeonbuk Sports Council, handed over these valuable items.

According to the Jeonbuk Provincial Sports Council (Chairman Jeong Gang-seon) on the 3rd, Shin, the first Korean boxer and the first Jeonbuk native to win an Olympic gold medal, donated priceless sports relics including his gold medal, the boxing gown he wore at the time, a laurel wreath, and a torch to the provincial sports council.

On the 3rd, Jeonbuk Provincial Sports Council Secretary-General Shin Junseop and Director Jeong Soyoung (left) donated Olympic memorabilia, including a gold medal, to the Provincial Sports Council and commemorated the event.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Provincial Sports Council]

Shin started boxing relatively late, in high school, and was not a player who attracted much attention as he repeatedly faced defeats in various domestic and international competitions at the time.

However, through passion and relentless effort in boxing, he began to rise rapidly after winning the gold medal at the 1983 Rome World Cup Boxing Tournament. The following year, in 1984, he competed as a national representative in the middleweight boxing category at the LA Olympics and won the prestigious gold medal. In the final match, he faced Virgil Hill of the United States in a fierce battle and won by a 3-2 decision, bringing joy and inspiration to the entire nation.

The medal donated by Shin shows the marks of time but is clearly embossed with ‘XXIII OLYMPIAD Los Angeles 1984’. The blue gown with yellow stripes that he wore while anxiously awaiting the final decision has “Shin Jun-seop” written on it, and on the back, “KOREA” is inscribed, symbolizing the national team.

The laurel wreath, which in ancient Greece was made as a symbol of honor for Olympic champions and victorious generals, is made of metal with gold leaf applied and each leaf is individually carved. The torch was used in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and Shin participated as a torchbearer during the relay.

Shin Jun-seop said, “I donated these relics not as the Secretary General of the provincial sports council but as an Olympic gold medalist,” adding, “I hope that this donation ceremony will encourage not only sports stars, veteran athletes, and active players but also all residents of the province to participate in the relay of donating sports relics.” He also stated, “I will do my best to ensure the smooth construction of the Jeonbuk Sports History Memorial Hall.”

Former Secretary General of Jeonbuk Sports Council, Shin Jun-seop, wearing the gold medal he won in boxing at the 1984 LA Olympics around his neck.
[Photo by Jeonbuk Sports Council]

Following Shin Jun-seop’s donation ceremony, Jeong So-young, a director of the provincial sports council, also donated memorabilia, making the event even more meaningful. Director Jeong is a gold medalist in badminton at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and has won medals at various world competitions including the Asian Games. She donated the racket used at the Olympics and medals from the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.

Chairman Jeong Gang-seon expressed gratitude, saying, “I thank Secretary General Shin Jun-seop for willingly donating sports relics of great historical value despite the difficulty of the decision,” and added, “We will strive to preserve the history of Jeonbuk sports and pass on the changes in Jeonbuk sports to future athletes and residents.”

Meanwhile, the Jeonbuk Sports Council is focusing on the construction of a sports history memorial hall by forming a promotion committee composed of experts from various fields, hiring curators, and collecting sports relics to commemorate, preserve, and manage the history of Jeonbuk sports. So far, about 300 sports relics have been collected and are being stored in a temporary storage facility. Starting with Shin’s donation ceremony, the council plans to continuously collect relics from past and present sports heroes and professional athletes.

Jeonbuk Province has produced numerous sports stars including Shin Jun-seop (boxing), Yoo In-tak (wrestling), Park Sung-hyun (archery), Jeong So-young and Kim Dong-moon (badminton), Jeon Byung-kwan (weightlifting), Lim Mi-kyung (handball), Kim Ah-rang (ice skating), and Kim Young-kwon (football). The province has also hosted major events such as the Jeonju-Muju Winter Universiade, the World Taekwondo Championships, and the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

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