What is the Connection Between Marathon Hero Lee Bong-ju and Yangcheon-gu Officer Kim Jeong-eun?

National Marathoner Lee Bong-ju Appointed Ambassador for 2024 Yangcheon Marathon... Media Team Chief Kim Jeong-eun Reads Diary from 5th Grade, Reviving Memories and Sparking Interest

Player Lee Bong-ju (left) and Chief Kim Jeong-eun. Chief Kim showed a diary she wrote in the 5th grade of elementary school and took a commemorative photo with player Lee Bong-ju.

National marathoner Lee Bong-ju has been appointed as the ambassador for the ‘2024 Yangcheon Marathon’ to be held on April 27.

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) held the appointment ceremony for the Yangcheon Marathon ambassador last month on the 16th in the district office meeting room.

Lee Bong-ju is a 'national marathoner' who won the silver medal in the marathon at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, gold medals at the 1998 and 2002 Asian Games, and victories at prestigious international competitions such as the 2001 Boston Marathon and the 2007 Seoul International Marathon.

The district appointed Lee Bong-ju, who has long inspired hope and emotion in the public, as the official ambassador for the ‘2024 Yangcheon Marathon,’ aiming to enhance the status of the event as a nationwide competition and deliver a message of hope to citizens.

Meanwhile, a touching story has come to light about Lee Bong-ju, a national hero, involving Kim Jeong-eun, who was an elementary school student at the time, writing a diary entry about Lee’s victory at the Fukuoka International Marathon on December 1, 1996.

At the Yangcheon Marathon ambassador appointment ceremony, Kim read the diary she wrote back then, surprising Lee Bong-ju.

Kim Jeong-eun, then a 5th grader at Sumi Elementary School in Suyeong-gu, Busan Metropolitan City, wrote in her diary: “It was around 1 p.m. I was bored and turned on the TV to watch something. A marathon race was on. Among many runners, our country’s athlete Lee Bong-ju was running hard. I was very proud. Despite snow and rain, he kept running with unwavering endurance, which was admirable. Lee Bong-ju was 168 cm tall and weighed 56 kg, and he took pride in his endurance and diligence. The president at the Blue House sent a congratulatory message to Lee Bong-ju, who won the gold medal. I really envied him. From now on, I will work hard and live with a sincere heart like Lee Bong-ju to achieve good results in everything.”

Kim said, “It is truly amazing and an incredible fate that the 12-year-old girl who grew up over 28 years could meet the admired Lee Bong-ju not just in a diary but in reality. When I heard that Lee Bong-ju, the ambassador for the Yangcheon Marathon, was visiting the district office, I rushed over with my diary in hand. That diary from 28 years ago turned an ordinary relationship into a fateful ‘special connection.’ I am deeply moved to have read the diary I wrote myself in front of Lee Bong-ju.”

Kim added, “Lee Bong-ju’s sincere words that he runs well not because he was born with talent but because of effort inspired a 5th-grade elementary school child to pledge to live life with steady effort and a sincere heart.”

On that day, when Lee Bong-ju asked, “You seem like you run well, did you sign up for the marathon?” Kim replied, “My whole family will participate,” and later said that when she told her children (daughter and son) about her heroic story, they cheered enthusiastically.

Kim said that marathons and diaries share the commonality of leaving footprints of life. A marathon is a record of a vigorous challenge toward a goal, and a diary records daily memories of sad and happy events.

She especially noted that even if you go a little slower in a marathon, if you don’t give up, you can reach the destination, and a diary helps discover one’s inner self and leads to greater growth.

The following is a piece written by Kim Jeong-eun after meeting Lee Bong-ju:

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At the Threshold of Unhyeok (不惑): Life Marathon and Diary

I met a national hero in an old diary drawer. Now, 28 years later, the 12-year-old girl has become a 40-year-old mother of two children and faced her idol in reality. The special protagonist is none other than Lee Bong-ju, the national marathoner who completed the full 42.195 km course 31 times and ran around the world, and the young me who watched that race.

Looking into the diary, the memories of that day seem to faintly come alive. It’s like riding a time machine back to the international marathon held in Fukuoka on December 1, 1996. Despite the harsh weather with snow and rain, Lee Bong-ju ran tirelessly and won among the stars. The passion and effort Lee Bong-ju showed made all of us run with one heart and filled us with pride as Korean citizens.

Lee Bong-ju’s sincere words that he runs well not because he was born with talent but because of effort inspired a 5th-grade elementary school child to pledge to live life with steady effort and a sincere heart. Through Lee Bong-ju, I believe I gained the great realization that life is a marathon.

It is truly amazing and an incredible fate that I could meet Lee Bong-ju again not in a diary but in reality. When I heard that Lee Bong-ju, the ambassador for the Yangcheon Marathon, was visiting the district office, I rushed over with my diary in hand. That diary from 30 years ago turned an ordinary relationship into a fateful ‘special connection.’ I am deeply moved to have read the diary I wrote myself in front of Lee Bong-ju.

When he asked if I had signed up for the marathon since I seemed to run well, I boldly answered that my whole family would participate. When I got home and told my children about my heroic story(?), they cheered. When asked if they knew Lee Bong-ju, my eldest said they had already seen him on TV and acted like they knew him, and my younger child asked who was faster, Lightning Man or Lee Bong-ju. When I told my husband about everything after work, he responded with a bright smile. Last spring, my husband was not in Korea, but I am thankful that this coming blossoming April, our whole family can run hard along the Anyangcheon Stream. Usually, I am a nagging mom, but on this day, I plan to be a reliable companion to each other.

Marathons and diaries... they seem unrelated, but I found commonalities. Maybe I want to believe this so much that I insist on it, but when I put it together, it actually sounds quite plausible.

Marathons and diaries leave footprints of life. A marathon is a record of a vigorous challenge toward a goal, and a diary records daily memories of sad and happy events. While records are important in any sport, marathons transcend competition among athletes and, above all, embody an indomitable spirit challenging one’s own limits, making the challenge itself meaningful. That is why the resonance and emotion of finishing are even more special. Just recently, many were deeply moved by the story of Ki An84, who got up and ran a marathon after watching a visually impaired grandfather running while holding a rope on the show ‘I Live Alone.’

A copy of the diary written by Chief Kim Jong-un at the time. It was reported that although the diary entry date was December 1, it was mistakenly written as November 31.

And it allows everyone to stand tall as the main subject of their lives. Even if you go a little slower in a marathon, if you don’t give up, you can reach the destination, and a diary helps discover one’s inner self and leads to greater growth.

Every year I age by one year without much feeling, but turning 40 this year brings a sense of urgency that something must change. Although I have felt fulfillment and pride writing countless press releases at the district office’s public relations department... I have neglected the most important record of my life. So from today, I have decided to start writing a diary again that will leave the history of my life.

I dream that someday in the future, a gift-like day will unfold again from the faded diary. And I hope that the moment my children run together with their mom and dad in the Yangcheon Marathon on April 27, their first-ever race, will remain a vivid memory in their diaries, providing small comfort and strength when difficult trials come.

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