Exotic cultural artifact

By Choe Chong-dae

A significant number of precious cultural properties have been donated by individuals and groups at home and abroad to the National Museum of Korea since its establishment in 1909. The museum makes tremendous efforts to preserve and display all of these invaluable assets, ensuring they are kept in good condition.

What inspired me the most among the artifacts on display in the donations gallery I saw during my recent visit to the museum was an exotic bronze helmet. It is an ancient Corinthian warrior helmet that was an offering to the Olympian gods and goddesses as a token of remembrance in commemoration of a victory at the Olympiad. It was discovered at the Temple of Zeus in Olympia, Greece, by a German archaeologist in 1875.

The unique helmet was supposed to be awarded to Sohn Kee-chung (1912-2002) when he won the gold medal in the marathon at the 11th Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936. It was donated to Sohn, the winner of the marathon, by the Greek newspaper Vradyni.

However, it was never delivered to him due to the regulations of the International Olympic Committee which stipulate amateur winners are not rewarded with other awards beside the medal. As a result, the bronze helmet has been on display at the Charlottenburg Museum in Berlin for half a century. Ultimately, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Olympics in 1986, it was handed over to Sohn, its rightful owner.

Acutely aware of the need to preserve the invaluable helmet permanently, Sohn generously donated it to the National Museum of Korea in 1994, emphasizing that “The helmet is not mine; it belongs to all people of Korea.” The distinctive bronze helmet is not a Korean-produced cultural asset, but it is a valuable foreign cultural artifact that is supposed to have been made in Corinth, Greece, during the 6th century B.C.

Furthermore, it enshrines Korean patriotism as a symbol of Sohn's inspiring victory in the marathon during the period of Japanese colonial rule. In recognition of its historical value, the helmet has been designated as Treasure No. 904 by the Korean government.

If the helmet had been delivered to Sohn at the Berlin Olympics 1936, it would have been difficult to preserve in good condition due to the turbulence caused by Japanese colonial rule and the Korean War. Furthermore, it would have been hard for Koreans to keep the helmet personally.

In this sense then, it is fortunate that the helmet was stored at the museum in Berlin for so many years.

Sohn, the first ever Korean Olympic medalist, has been immortalized as a Korean national hero. However, as result of Korea's colonization by Japan at that time, Sohn and his teammate Nam Sung-yong, winner of the bronze medal in the same race, were forced to represent the Japanese Olympic team.

Nevertheless, when they were on the medal podium and crowned with a laurel wreath while the Japanese national anthem was being played, they both bowed their heads in protest against the Japanese colonial regime. Their symbolic act of patriotism, nationalism and resistance deeply impressed the world.

Sohn's marathon victory at the Berlin Olympics was not only an honor for him, but also for our nation, as it evoked a renewed bright hope for Korea's identity. I believe the distinctive helmet will serve as an example of Korean national pride and encourage future athletes to pursue athletic excellence.

Choe Chong-dae (choecd@naver.com) is a guest columnist of The Korea Times. He is president of Dae-kwang International Co., and director of the Korean-Swedish Association.