Park Jae-hyuk is a seasoned journalist who has provided comprehensive coverage of South Korea's corporate dynamics, economic policies, industry challenges and the global positioning of Korean companies. Based on the articles he has written since joining The Korea Times in 2016, his investigative approach has helped readers understand corporate governance, economic trends and business strategies shaping South Korea’s economy.
Support made S. Korean archers strong
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South Korea’s Chang Hye-jin, from left, Choi Mi-sun and Ki Bo-bae celebrate their gold medals during the awards ceremony of the women’s team archery competition at the Sambodromo archery venue during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Monday (KST). / AP-Yonhap
By Park Jae-hyuk
By Park Jae-hyuk
South Korean archers have proven once again to be the world’s best at the Rio Olympics, after the women’s team won gold, Monday (KST), just a day after the men’s team triumphed.
Behind this triumph was Hyundai Motor Group which has supported archery since 1985. Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-koo led the Korea Archery Association for 12 years and is currently its honorary chairman.
Hyundai Motor Vice President Chung Eui-sun, Mong-koo’s son, has led the association since 2005, investing about 38 billion won ($34 million) in the country’s archery teams.
The company’s continuous financial support has provided the archers with the science-based training they needed to win the Olympic gold medals.
The “scientific training project” of Hyundai Motor Research Laboratory strengthened the archers’ mentality, which is deemed especially important in archery.
The South Korean archers measure their brainwaves for concentration, watching videos of specific situations that are likely to occur at the archery range.
They also play smartphone games, such as “Arrow Shooting” or “Ball Bouncing,” to warm up their mental training in the morning.
“Scientific training programs helped South Korean teams clinch the gold eight consecutive times,” archer Chang Hye-jin told foreign reporters after she defeated the Russian team in the women’s archery team finals.
Last year, Hyundai Motor Group constructed a new archery range, similar to that in Rio, at the Korean National Training Center in Taereung, northeastern Seoul.
South Korean archers could get used to a 50-centimeter higher shooting zone of the Sambodormo archery venue, while other countries’ archers hardly adapted to the venue’s differences from those in previous Olympics.
When the national archery team arrived in Rio on July 28, Vice President Chung ordered a resting area to be provided for archers near the archery venue. The Korean archers were provided with Korean food and given the best environment for relaxation.
Hyundai Motor Group also gave five vehicles ― one Equus and four Tucsons ― to transport the archers.
“Our company is considering rewarding the gold medalists, just as we did with the 2012 London Olympics medalists,” a company official said. “Hyundai Motor Group will continue to support the national archery team.”