Remembering Kim Il: pro wrestler, hero of the people

 

When traveling to the island of Geogeumdo in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, I came up onKim Il Memorial Hall, where I read his life story as a professional wrestler. Kim Il won the WWA (World Wrestling Association) championship title in 1967. In every match, his specialty, the headbutt, helped him defeat his opponent and brought citizens’ enthusiastic cheers.

Born in Geogeumdo in 1929, Kim Il died in 2006 at the age of 77. He was a "ssireum seonsu" (Korean for wrestler) in the 1950s, but at that time, his sporting future looked gloomy. So he stowed away to Japan where he learned professional wrestling from Rikid?zan, a famous Korean-born Japanese fighter.

When Rikidozan saw Kim Il’s imposing figure, he began to practice hitting Kim’s forehead with baseball bats, thick wooden sticks or golf clubs. After overcoming this harsh training, he was unbeatable.

In 1965, Rikidozan died unexpectedly. After the death of his teacher, Kim Il returned home and became a wrestling champion in Asia in 1966. The next year, he became a world champion and defended his world title 20 times until 1972. He retired in 1980.

In the 1960s, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world. Most farmers lived under the influence of alcohol because they had nothing better to do. Also, the authoritarian government prevented citizens and conscientious men from expressing their opinions freely. In this severe and oppressive situation pro-wrestling matches provided catharsis for the public.

For example, every time a wrestler took on an opponent, he was initially, unilaterally driven into a groggy state. Then, like a roly-poly, he woke up and defeated his opponent with a couple of head butts. At that moment, viewers watching him on TV united with the player with joy and cheers. Moreover, his victory instilled pride in his supporters.

From the late 1960s to the mid-1970s, this writer attended elementary school and middle school. My village had no TV, so I would watch wrestling matches on the TV at the township office. Late at night, after Kim Il’s victory, I would walk home, my steps light, intoxicated with his victory.

One day in the late 1960s, President Park Chung-hee invited Kim Il to the Blue House. He told the wrestler that he would give him some land for free if, in exchange, Kim Il would impress the people. Kim politely rejected the offer but the president continued with his request. The wrestler answered, “My islanders need electric light.” Right away, that year, his hometown was electrified, the first of the nation’s island areas to have electric lights. Also, as Kim Il had money, he would buy his villagers farming tools and machines instead of using it for his own family.

The wrestler’s second daughter lives near Geogeumdo. She said, “While my father was a pro wrestler, people form our hometown continued to visit our home in Seoul while looking for jobs." She explained that her mother always treated them with a hearty meal. To do so, she bought three 60-kilogram bags of rice every month and in late fall made 300 heads of cabbage into kimchi. Her mother continued to do this every month until Kim retired from his wrestling career.

The pro wrestler and his family gave the citizenry great comfort. He did this by lifting their self-esteem through the wrestler’s beating of his opponents, as a lifesaver for his fellow islanders, and as a source of hope for his fellow villagers. As a result, the islanders built a memorial hall for Kim Il in 2021 and have honored him.

The wrestler died of cerebrovascular disease due to the aftereffects of multiple head injuries but his sportsmanship and benevolence deeply impressed those who remember him.

The writer is a retired English teacher who published a book titled, "Flower Is Flower."