Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
'London kids' eye Rio glory
By Jung Min-ho
The curtain came down on the 2012 London Olympics Monday (KST) with the next generation of Korean athletes already looking ahead to Rio de Janeiro in four years time.
This “London” generation of athletes is fueled by powerful government and private sector sponsorship and improved training environment, unlike the “1988 Seoul Olympics” generation where the “hungry” spirit or “can-do” spirit ruled as the country and its people looked to prove itself to the world.
Many competitors gave stellar performances at their first Summer Games, bringing joy to the nation and entertaining the world, playing a vital role in surpassing the nation’s initial goal of winning 10 gold medals, finishing with 13.
At the center of this achievement were gymnast Yang Hak-seon, shooter Kim Jang-mi, fencer Kim Ji-yeon and rhythmic gymnast Son Yeon-jae.
Yang is currently the only person capable of the vault that won him gold, known as the “Yang Hak-seon.” Korea’s first-ever gymnastics gold medalist developed his signature triple-twisting handspring front somersault and displayed it for the first attempt in the Olympic final. Despite a landing error, the 19-year-old received 16.466 points, the highest among the finalists because the vault has the highest difficulty rating of 7.4. No one else in London had a rating over 7.0. After the Olympics, the defending champion says he will develop a more evolved vault, “Yang Hak-seon II,” for the Rio Olympics. This could just be the beginning of a glorious career for the young gymnast.
Kim Jang-mi left an indelible mark on Olympic shooting history by not only winning the gold in the women’s 25-meter pistol but also in setting a new Summer Games record of 591. The 19-year-old showed guts in the final when Beijing gold medalist Chen Ying was ahead before the last five shots. The Korean markswoman’s final five attempts all hit the 10-point mark to take gold, signaling a bright future.