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.
Local talent to ignite F1 success in Korea
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
YEONGAM,, South Jeolla Province – Caterham Formula One team boss Tony Fernandes advised the Korean Grand Prix organizers Sunday to invest in developing local talent for long-term success here.
“You have to invest in Korean talent. Spain is a great example. When (Fernando) Alonso became world champion, Spain became F1 crazy. You need a local talent. That will change Yeongam forever,” the 48-year-old said in an interview with The Korea Times. “Every sport needs a stage. The best way to spark popularity is to own a team that has developments all the way from go-karting and start getting young Korean kids into driving. Korea definitely can have a champion and that will change sponsors and the TV audience.”
For a sport that hasn’t taken root here, Korea needs a star like football player Park Ji-sung in F1. The country must have a well-organized foundation to make that happen, Fernandes said.
Fernandes, also CEO of AirAisia owns the English Premier League team Queens Park Ranger where Park currently plays.
“Koreans are very nationalistic. But there is nothing here to support it,” Fernandes added.
Since Malaysia joined the F1 World Championship in 1999, motor sports has grown as one of the most popular sports there along with the Malaysian Grand Prix. With Malaysian-owned team Caterham, which made its debut at the Australian Grand Prix this year, the country is expected to see a further increase in the popularity of motor sports.
“F1 is big in Malaysia. We don’t have a Malaysian team yet but we have youngsters coming up,” Fernandes said. “So, the key is having local talents”
For the third Korean Grand Prix in Yeongam, about 400 kilometers from the nation’s capital, the organizing committee made an all-out attempt to boost ticket sales by offering a 40 percent discount and inviting K-pop stars to perform. Nevertheless, the number who went to the track over the three-day period was 164,000, little progress compared to last year’s 160,000.
The Malaysian entrepreneur said the location is linked to the stagnating ticket sales.
“It’s a shame that it’s far away from big cities,” Fernandes said. “If this event was in Seoul or near Seoul, I think the financial (situation) would be different. I think it is harder to make money because of where it is. The closest airport, Muan, is a small airport. Is it easy for someone from Seoul to come here? Probably not. That means its harder for sponsors and lots of other things.”
Developing the surrounding area to the circuit will also be helpful for hosting a better event next year, Fernandes noted.
“When I came here three years ago, there was a big plan to build a marina to make here almost like Monte Carlo with casinos and this was supposed to be a catalyst for development. But I’m not sure what has happened on that,” he said.