"I Run Even at 74" K-League President Kwon Oh-gap Completes 10km of Seoul Half Marathon...Running is basic, a sports enthusiast who enjoys swimming and climbing rocks
"I Run Even at 74" K-League President Kwon Oh-gap Completes 10km of Seoul Half Marathon...Running is basic, a sports enthusiast who enjoys swimming and climbing rocks
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More than 20,000 people ran through downtown Seoul. Among the participants, 71% of the participants were in their 20s, 30s, and 2030s. Among them, there was a familiar figure who showed his '74-year-old fighting spirit'. HD Hyundai Chairman and President Kwon Oh-gap of the Korea Professional Football Association are the main characters.
Born in 1951, Kwon participated in the 10-kilometer section of the 2025 Seoul Half Marathon, which will depart from Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul and arrive at Yeouido Park, and completed the race. Having served as a Marine Corps officer, he is a sports enthusiast who enjoys swimming, rock climbing, and golf in addition to running.
He started running a marathon in 1997. From 2004 to 2010, he completed the full marathon in four events with a time of 4 hours and 53 minutes. However, he had a crisis, too. At the age of 60, he injured his Achilles tendon while playing soccer. He gave up the marathon for a while, but failed to overcome his enthusiasm. He has been participating in the 10km marathon since 2023. Kwon had participated in a marathon that was held in downtown Seoul last month as well.
He has made a milestone in Korean pro soccer. As the representative of Ulsan Hyundai (currently Ulsan HD), he led the team to the top of the Asian Champions League in 2012. After transforming into a team owner, he won three consecutive K-League 1 titles from 2022-2024, opening the door to the dynasty. Ulsan will also play in the FIFA Club World Cup on behalf of Asia in June. The work was created by President Kwon after 20 years of hard work as a general manager and owner of the team.
He has also been in charge of the Korea Professional Football League for 12 years. After inauguration as president of the Korea Professional Football League in 2013, he was re-elected in 2017. He won the third term in 2021, and the fourth term in the beginning of this year. While leading the K-League, Kwon successfully settled down the first and second sections. In 2023 and last year, he has continued to draw a upward curve, surpassing 3 million spectators for two consecutive years. Last year, the first section attracted 2.5885 million people, and the second section attracted 889,125. A total of 3,439,662 people attended 467 games. Since the introduction of the paid attendance tally in 2018, the two leagues have set a new record for the largest number of spectators in a single season. The number of spectators has increased by 420,000 compared to 301,509 in 2023, when the figure exceeded 3 million for the first time.
The team has also achieved quantitative growth. The K-League has established a 26-team system this year. The first division has 12 teams and the second division has 14 teams. In his fourth term in office, Kwon is drawing a bigger picture of expanding the platform to the third division. Earlier this year, he said, "The K-League is not complacent with its current popularity and wants to go one step further and create a future-oriented league. As it has the largest number of clubs and wide connections among Korean professional sports, we will make it easier for fans all over the country to access the K-League and visit stadiums."
Governor Kwon enjoyed the "Spring of Seoul" across the city on this day. He passed the finish line with a red-colored face with his hat on the back. To him, age was just a number. "I usually exercise steadily for health care, but it was a lot of fun to run through downtown Seoul on such a good weather as today. I can't run the full course like before, but I'm grateful and proud to be able to run even 10km like this. I plan to continue running as steadily as my body allows me to in the future." 메이저사이트
After the race, President Kwon's smile did not leave his mouth. He plans to continue "running" until the day his body is allowed.