[If You Know] Nam Seung-ryong Slaps Japanese Player Who Tried to Cheat (Part 2)

Namsungryong, Who Met Japanese Aristocratic Guardian and Devoted Himself to Athletics
Arrived at Moscow Station and Spent Two Nights in Train Car
Top Contender Lost Balance and Fell Forward Like a Tumble
Hitler Held Son Kijeong's Hand and Congratulated Marathon Victory

'If you know' you will receive useful information in a somewhat disorganized manner. This is a tip for enjoying movies more interestingly.

*Following Son Ki-jeong, who went from selling chamoe melons and sugar cubes to challenging himself as a track athlete (Part 1)

*Nam Seung-ryong grew up in a poor family in Suncheon. He liked running from a young age, and at fifteen, he represented Jeonnam in the Joseon Shingung Competition, placing 4th in the 10,000m and 2nd in the marathon. Suzuki Take, a Governor-General official who had been an athlete in track and rugby at Keijo Imperial University, noticed his talent and personally taught him running techniques. After graduating from elementary school, Nam Seung-ryong’s family struggled financially, so he helped with farming at home. At nineteen, he moved to Seoul. He attended Hyupsung Industrial School and later transferred to Yangjeong. He was often hungry due to lack of money for lodging. To save tram fare, he tightened his belt and walked from Hyehwa-dong to the school behind Keijo Station. Overcoming many hardships, Nam Seung-ryong made a name for himself as a formidable long-distance runner and entered Meiji University. In Japan, a Japanese noble named Kitabadake became his patron, allowing him to focus on athletics. Nam Seung-ryong had a peculiar habit: if he saw a hearse before a race, he performed well. So Kitabadake would take him around Tokyo in his car searching for hearses before races.

*While studying at Waseda University, Kim Eun-bae launched a fundraising campaign to encourage juniors participating in the Berlin Olympics. Choi Seung-hee, a dancer famous in Japan, donated over 100 won, a large sum at the time. A Korean restaurant in Keijo called Sikdowon also showed their support by sending garlic jang (fermented sauce).

*The marathon team, including Son Ki-jeong, departed for Berlin two months before the Olympics began, ahead of the main delegation. This was to adapt and inspect the course locally. They took a ship and train from Tokyo to Seoul, then boarded a transcontinental train crossing Manchuria and Siberia. At that time, the Siberian Railway via Moscow was the fastest route. It took a week to cross Siberia. The train they rode was not for passengers but for military equipment transport. It stopped unpredictably and ran erratically. Some days they ran all day between barley fields; other days they ran endlessly along lakes. The railway was undergoing double-tracking work. Whenever they met other trains, they waited in station yards before proceeding. Upon arriving at Moscow Station, they did not stay in the city but spent two nights cramped in the train cars.

*After two weeks, on July 17, the marathon team arrived in Berlin. Staff from the Japanese Embassy in Germany greeted them at the station. Upon meeting, they complained, "Why are there two Joseon people among the marathon runners?" The team stayed three days at a city hotel before moving into the Olympic Village. Son Ki-jeong shared a room with Shioaku, a salt field laborer over thirty years old who was illiterate and could barely sign his name. Coach Sato called only him and Suzuki aside to manage their condition, showing some ulterior motives. Meanwhile, Kwon Tae-ha and Jeong Sang-hee, who visited the Olympic Village, discovered this and protested to the Japanese Embassy to stop discriminatory treatment.

*A few days before the Olympics began, Coach Sato held a 30km trial race to select participants again. They set a temporary course including the Avus car racing track and park forest paths and held another preliminary competition. Suzuki was exhausted after suffering from the flu for a week. Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong outran the two Japanese runners. However, Shioaku suddenly deviated from the set course and took a wrong shortcut. Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong finished their courses and crossed the finish line first and second respectively. Nam Seung-ryong angrily slapped Shioaku’s face with a spit-covered palm when he arrived late. Thus, Japan’s sinister plan to block Joseon runners failed.

*On August 9, Son Ki-jeong competed in the Berlin Olympic marathon against 56 runners from 27 countries. At the starting line, he gained strength seeing passionate support from fellow Joseon runners like Kim Yong-sik and Jang Yi-jin.

*Most runners quickly ran one lap around the track and left the stadium at the start signal. Son Ki-jeong worried whether he could catch up as the leading group ran too fast. However, the front runners soon began to falter, gasping for breath before 4km. Some even dropped out. Son Ki-jeong thought, "The Olympics aren’t such a big deal. How could they come with such weak will? This is a fight for the name of our country and people..." and felt relieved.

*Son Ki-jeong passed the 10km mark in fourth place, running alongside Ernest Harper, a British runner known to have worried about Son’s overpacing. As Son gradually increased his pace and overtook him, Harper shouted "Slow! Slow!" to restrain his speed. Son Ki-jeong responded by raising his hand as if to say he understood. This moment was close-up filmed in Leni Riefenstahl’s documentary "Olympia." Until then, Son was in 4th place. The leader was Juan Carlos Zabala from Argentina, a strong favorite, wearing a white tennis cap and leading until 30km. Second was Brown from the USA, who was eating a banana while running, and third was Diaz from Portugal. These two gradually fell behind. Zabala also faltered due to the heat and his excessive speed. Son Ki-jeong gained great strength seeing Zabala’s dazed eyes as they passed at the turnaround point. The gap was only one minute.

*Nam Seung-ryong, who had been running in the last group until leaving Berlin city, steadily overtook runners ahead at his own pace. He passed the turnaround in 8th place.

*After passing the 30km point, Son Ki-jeong took the lead. Zabala lost his balance and collapsed forward unconscious on the road facing Bismarck Hill. Son Ki-jeong felt uneasy as his target to chase disappeared. He recalled the moment as follows: "Now I am in the lead. The road is deserted, with dark forests on both sides. Suddenly, a wave of anxiety overwhelms me. Is it because I lost the target to chase? Now I have become the target of terrifying gazes behind me. The pain intensifies. My chest feels tight. I feel strength draining from my arms and legs. The asphalt stretches endlessly like a mirage. Beside it, the calm waters of the Havel River shine silver in the sunlight. Countless silver arrows fill the surface... A light dizziness comes. Memories flash like a mirage. The long line of rafts floating along the Amnok River. Me running along the gravel path by the river. The house swept away by floods. My mother carrying a peddler’s bundle with our worn-out belongings. My mother buying rubber shoes for me because it was hard to wash sweat-soaked cotton clothes after running. She tied the shoes with straw ropes but finally gave in to my stubbornness and took out money from her pouch to buy 'Dabi' from the peddler’s bundle. Then she prayed with tears for my success... I shake my head to shake off old memories. The last big hurdle, Bismarck Hill, towers like the neck of an angry dinosaur. Let me gather strength! If I endure here, everything will be over."

*Son Ki-jeong crossed the finish line in 2 hours 29 minutes 2 seconds. Since Spiridon Louis won the 40km marathon at the 1896 Athens Olympics in 2 hours 58 minutes 50 seconds, this was the first time the 42.195km marathon was completed in under 2 hours 30 minutes. Harper finished second 2 minutes 4 seconds later (2 hours 31 minutes 23 seconds). Nam Seung-ryong missed Harper by 19 seconds, finishing third (2 hours 31 minutes 42 seconds).

*After crossing the finish line, Son Ki-jeong felt pain in his right foot. Taking off his shoe, he saw his foot was red and swollen terribly. He thought, "Let me walk proudly like a winner." Trying not to limp, he stood on the top step of the podium. During the flag-raising ceremony, the Japanese flag was raised. Son Ki-jeong recalled: "I am not Japanese. Why must the Rising Sun flag be raised for my victory? Why must 'Kimigayo' be played under the Berlin sky? Is this really my victory? The Rising Sun flag, like a bloodstain on my chest, is a curse marking a people who lost their country. I never ran for Japan. I ran only for myself and my country, Joseon. Yet my victory only deepens the sorrow of a lost country and the despair of being born on stolen land. I will never run again. As long as the burden of the Rising Sun flag remains, my marathon will never return."

*Adolf Hitler, the F?hrer of Nazi Germany, appeared in the royal box at the Berlin Summer Olympics and shook hands with winners to encourage them. He did the same with Son Ki-jeong, gripping his hand firmly and saying, "Congratulations on winning the marathon." Son Ki-jeong replied, "I won because the German people supported me. Thank you."

*The scene of Son Ki-jeong’s marathon victory in "Olympia" was screened in Tokyo. Thousands surrounded the theater waiting their turn to enter, making it a hit. Son Ki-jeong was able to watch it with Nam Seung-ryong at the Gyeongil News Hall in Keijo. People in Keijo, who had only heard the thrilling moment on the radio, finally confirmed it visually.

*Lee Gil-yong, a sports reporter for the Dong-A Ilbo, cut out a photo of Son Ki-jeong wearing a laurel wreath from the Japanese weekly newspaper Shukan Asahi Sports and asked painter Lee Sang-beom from the investigative department to erase the Rising Sun flag from it. The Governor-General’s office was outraged. Japanese police stormed into the Dong-A Ilbo office and arrested the reporter Lee Gil-yong, painter Lee Sang-beom, social affairs chief Hyun Jin-geon, and photo chief Shin Nak-gyun. They were detained for about 40 days, beaten, slapped, and force-fed. The police raged to extract confessions that the Rising Sun flag erasure incident was planned and organized. Eventually, Dong-A Ilbo was suspended for the fourth time. The publication was halted under Article 20, Paragraph 2 of the Newspaper Act for disturbing public order. The Governor-General allowed the newspaper to resume only on condition that all dangerous employees be dismissed. As a result, ten people including President Song Jin-woo, Editor-in-Chief Kim Jun-yeon, Managing Editor Seol Ui-sik, Social Affairs Chief Hyun Jin-geon, Painter Lee Sang-beom, and Reporter Lee Gil-yong were expelled.

*Son Ki-jeong’s homecoming was humble. In Nagasaki, detectives interrogated him like a criminal, questioning him about possession of weapons. Strict surveillance followed him in Kobe as well. Everyone who met him was summoned by Japanese police for questioning. At every train station on the way to Tokyo, crowds welcomed the Olympic champion, but Son Ki-jeong was afraid to meet people.

*On October 8, 1936, Son Ki-jeong flew over the Korea Strait on a propeller plane with Hwang Uk. They left Tokyo, stopped in Fukuoka and Ulsan, and landed at Yeouido Airfield. Detectives and policemen were stationed there to prevent any untoward incidents and to protect Son Ki-jeong. They blocked the airfield entrance, preventing the welcoming crowd from entering. Son Ki-jeong recalled: "A nationless people had no chance to rejoice or celebrate Olympic victory. Even Olympic champions were mere outcasts and troublesome persons of interest to the Japanese. All welcoming and congratulatory events for me were banned. Even a welcome tea party by my classmates at Yangjeong was canceled by the school fearing Japanese eyes. Everyone trembled, fearing some incident might occur because of my victory. (Omitted) As the Pacific War approached, the Governor-General was calling for Japan-Korea unity. Upon hearing of my victory, they prepared a grand welcome to use it as political propaganda. But then the Dong-A Ilbo Rising Sun flag erasure incident broke out, and the shocked Governor-General banned all welcoming events."

*Son Ki-jeong met Kang Bok-shin through an introduction by Joseon Ilbo reporter Go Bong-o and married her. It was not their first meeting. When he represented Pyeongbuk in the Joseon Shingung Competition, Kang Bok-shin represented Pyeongnam and won the women’s 200m race. She also competed in the Joseon Women’s Olympics as a student of Pyongyang Seomun Girls’ High School, winning first place in the 200m and long jump. Son Ki-jeong’s mother opposed the marriage, saying, "Our family originally fell into ruin when the Kang family came in." But Son Ki-jeong, like when he ran away from home to become an athlete, held the wedding in cold winter at Pyongyang Gonghoe Hall. No one from his hometown Sin?iju came. His classmates from Yangjeong came from Seoul to comfort his melancholy.

*Son Ki-jeong could not go on a honeymoon and parted from his wife on a train. She got off in Seoul to return to Dongduk Girls’ High School, and Son Ki-jeong went to Japan to resume studies at Meiji University. After graduation, they rented a two-room apartment in Yeongeon-dong and started their married life. Son Ki-jeong joined a savings bank through the introduction of the Joseon Athletics Federation. Though an office worker, he received a salary of 40 won, including an extra 10 won on condition of bringing in deposits and savings.

*Son Ki-jeong’s mother passed away from a heart attack in 1942. Regretting not having properly cared for her, he lost his wife to hepatitis the following year. The stable family life he had briefly enjoyed ended after five years.

Reference materials: Son Ki-jeong, published by Humanist, "My Country, My Marathon (2022)"; Kim Ji-hwan, published by Books Together, "Modern Railroads (2022)"; Jo Dong-pyo, published by Life and Dream, "Marathon is Alive (1995)"; Choi In-jin, published by Shingu Munhwasa, "Son Ki-jeong and Nam Seung-ryong Erasing the Rising Sun Flag from Their Hearts (2006)"; MEDIA2.0 Editorial Department, published by MEDIA2.0, "Sports 2.0 (2007?2008)" etc.

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