Late Marathon Coach Oh Chang-seok Honored as a Distinguished Contributor to Korean Sports

Leaders Who Strived for the Revival of Marathon in South Korea
Former Marathon National Team Coach... Discovery of Oh Juhan

The late Oh Chang-seok, former national marathon coach, has been designated as a Meritorious Person in Korean Sports. On the 21st, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism held the Korean Sports Meritorious Person Designation Review Committee and decided to designate Coach Oh as a Meritorious Person in Korean Sports, the ministry announced on the 26th. The bereaved family will receive monthly pensions ranging from 1.2 million to 1.4 million KRW, as well as support for education expenses and employment incentives. Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon said, "He was a figure who contributed to the development of marathon in our country throughout his life," adding, "We will honor his noble intentions and provide support to his surviving family members through this designation as a Meritorious Person in Korean Sports."

Coach Oh was a leader who worked hard for the resurgence of Korean marathon. From 1995 until shortly before his death in April 2021, he served for about 26 years as the marathon coach for the Armed Forces Athletic Corps, the Gumi City Hall team, and the national marathon team coach. Even during his time as coach of the Q-Ray Marathon Team, he established a training camp in Albuquerque, USA, for high-altitude training and acted as a guide for overseas training, contributing to the improvement of Korean athletes' records.

He was also the person who discovered Oh Joo-han (Wilson Loyanae Erupe), originally from Kenya. He naturalized him as a Korean citizen and coached him to achieve excellent results in various competitions. However, during a training camp in Kenya, he returned to Korea to extend his visa but relapsed with blood cancer and passed away. Due to the spread of COVID-19 and the poor medical environment locally, he was unable to receive timely treatment.

Minister Yoo stated, "He tragically passed away while striving to elevate Korea’s marathon status with Olympic medals," and added, "We will expand welfare support for sportspeople, including support for Meritorious Persons in Korean Sports and medical expenses, so that coaches and athletes representing the country can train with peace of mind."

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