Korea's skateboarding scene needs more

Cho Kwang Hoon skates atop a reflective sphere. / Courtesy of Nakshot

By Sarah Buhler

Birthed in 1950s California, skateboarding was born out of a desire to feel the same sense of freedom on land that surfers experienced while gliding over the ocean waves. Over the decades it developed into a worldwide sport that eventually made its way into the Olympics, debuting in the 2020 Tokyo Summer Games.

Korea was no exception to jumping onto skateboarding during its global boom in the mid-1990s. Since then, the individuals who helped develop Korea's skateboarding culture (along with other street sports such as BMX) have shown a passion in building community and visibility for those who gravitate toward these athletic and artistic forms of self-expression.

Sitting in a cafe in the Dongdaemun neighborhood near Cult Skate Park, one of the founding landmarks of Korea's skateboarding and BMX culture, two people shared their thoughts on their participation in each sport, and how to create more visibility in both scenes.

Cho Kwang-hoon is the 37-year old co-founder of Daily Grind, currently Korea's only dedicated online skateboarding magazine. Cho was drawn to skateboarding as a middle schooler in 1997, through its fashion, music and physically challenging tricks and alternative subculture. Introduced to the sport by older friends, he continued skating into adulthood and in 2008 with friend and fellow skateboarder, Lee Won-seok, he began "Daily Grind." Starting as a skateboarding blog and shop as a way to build the culture and community, it has become a point of reference for new skateboarders within Korea, and a place for visiting international skateboarders to network and find the best skate spots.

Cho Kwang-hoon / Courtesy of Kim Jeong-woong

In 2017, Lee left Daily Grind for other personal pursuits, leaving sole management of the website to Cho, who did so with the support of the skate community, local skate shops and brands. Cho did acknowledge that in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been slow development of Korea's skateboarding culture compared to other countries, such as neighboring Japan, due to its low economic benefits and that, after a certain age, most skaters begin to see it as a hobby rather than adopting it as a lifestyle.

While these concerns do ring true, there continues to be growth of interest in skateboarding, along with more independent skate shops throughout Korea. Some have maintained sponsorships for local skateboarders, such as Seoul-based Timber Shop, which fosters space and community for new and old skaters. In addition, global brands have shown interest in Korea's developing skateboarding scene. In May, French fashion house, Christian Dior, featured all-female Korean skateboarders at their Fall 2022 runway show at Ewha Womans University. And throughout the years, global skateboarding brand Vans has invested in the Korean market by hosting skateboarding competitions and events, and supporting local skateboarders with merchandise to help sustain momentum of the burgeoning culture here.

Beyond Seoul

Outside of Seoul, in cities such as Gwangju, there is a small but strong community of skateboarders.

William Urbanski, 40, is a Canadian expat who has been living, working and skateboarding in Gwangju since 2012. Through actively seeking out other skateboarders at local skating hubs (currently the Asia Culture Complex in Gwangju's Dong District) and following sites such as Daily Grind and checking out skate shops within Gwangju such as TripleX and throughout Korea, he began to create a community with fellow skaters in his city and beyond.

Kim Ju-wan performs a backside heelflip. / Courtesy of William Urbanski

"Some of the skaters in Gwangju are good friends with the team at Riot Skateshop in Incheon, who have come down to Gwangju on multiple occasions to film and hang out…The Gwangju skateboarders are also friends with the skaters in Suncheon, Jeonju and Pohang. So, Incheon, Suncheon, Jeonju and Pohang are the cities that have the strongest connection to us," Urbanski said when talking about the relationships that have been established between skaters from city to city.

As Korea is fairly transient for most foreigners, it may seem difficult to establish a base network. But with online entities like Lurkorea run by foreign skaters mostly skating and filming their way around Seoul, and the strong intercity relationships between skateboarders, any skateboarder ― foreign or Korean ― has a place to go.

Beyond skateboarding

While skateboarding has been active in Korea since the 1990s, BMX has also formed its own community and culture within Korea, though with much less visibility. Lee Ji-hoon, 30, multimedia artist and SHREDD BIKES representative, discovered BMX while growing up in the U.S. as a third-culture kid. Lee began riding at the age of 13 while living in New York, and continued to ride in Korea in 2018 after serving his mandatory military duty and finding other BMX riders who were activating the cityscape and architecture of Seoul.

A BMX rider flies through the air. / Courtesy of Lee Ji-hoon

Military service is one reason Lee attributes to the dip in activity within not only the BMX, but the skateboarding community as well. However, paradoxically, it has been a mixed blessing that has brought in more seasoned and experienced Korean-born skaters and BMX riders who had moved abroad at a young age and, due to conscription, found themselves having to return back to Korea in their early 20s.

Such was the case with not only Lee, but also professional skateboarder Jason Choi. Choi, also 30, immigrated to the southeastern U.S. state of Virginia with his family as a child and returned at the age of 20 for conscription. He had been skating since the age of 14 and had already developed his own style and techniques that would catch the attention of local Korean skateboarders. Through his sponsorships by Kadence Distribution (the owners of Timber Shop) as well as eS Shoes, he has been able to contribute to the local scene by dedicating his time to skateboarding, encouraging new riders to build the culture from the streets to skate parks and teaching at his skateboarding academy to help nurture the future generation of Korea's skateboarders. Cho, Choi and Lee all believe in the impact skateboarding and BMX could have on Korea, that it could create a pathway to a more free and happy society.

Jason Choi leaps over a picnic table. / Courtesy of Jason Choi

Skate rat vs. future Olympian

When skateboarding was finally introduced as an Olympic sport in Tokyo 2020, Korea had yet to form a national team, mainly due to a lack of proper training facilities. Fast-forward to January 2022, after a competition in Chuncheon was held to nominate the official members of Korea's first skateboarding team, and Team Korea was formed, comprised of six young skateboarders, all under the age of 16.

There are such spaces in Seoul, like Cult Skate Park, which recently won a victory for street skaters and riders as it was a space of contention between local residents and skateboarders and BMX riders due to the onslaught of activity it brought during the pandemic. The local district had banned any street sport activity in the park for several months, but skaters and BMX riders managed to reach a compromise with public officials, and were able to start using the park again in late spring this year. Ttukseom Skatepark, near Ttukseom Park Station on Seoul Metro Line 7, is another popular spot for skaters, as well as Bundang Suseon Square in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province. For street skating, skaters in Busan can go to Sajik Stadium in that city's Dongnae District, or for indoor skating MONOLVGAR in Sasang District. But none of these parks are equipped for professional-level training.

Outside of the capital region, there are more and more skate parks being built, the largest one being the Chuncheon Songam Leisure Park (where the national competition was held), which boasts all the amenities for any X-game style competition. However, as it is open to the public, it doesn't suit the needs of a dedicated Olympic level training facility.

In a YouTube interview with KOREA NOW, Cho Hyun-ju, 14, one of the Team Korea members, was quoted as saying she sometimes wondered if she was actually in an Olympic team due to the fact there wasn't a proper skateboard facility for her and her teammates to train.

During the 41st National Men's and Women's Skateboarding Competition at Andong Extreme Park in May, Korea Roller Sports Federation (KRSF) Secretary General You Young-cheol echoed this sentiment about the lack of proper facilities for the young athletes. As the national skateboarding team is fairly new, the team needs to prove their skill and performance in order to gain full support of sponsorships and the Korean government to build an official skateboarding facility. This is what the KRSF is working toward while fostering support for local skateboarding events and participation at local parks. In the meantime, the national skateboarding team will be dispatched internationally for competitions and training.

Andong Extreme Park 41st National Men and Women's Skateboarding Competition, held in May / Courtesy of Sarah Buhler

More skate parks needed

Despite the hardships that Team Korea has faced, they have shone a newfound spotlight on skateboarding, inspiring young boys and girls to purchase skateboards and attend skateboarding academies, in the hopes of becoming great skateboarders. With all of this attention and movement around skateboarding within Korea, now is the time for the government to invest in more skate parks and a dedicated facility for current and future Olympian athletes.

It may seem almost ironic how street sports like BMX and skateboarding have been elevated to this institutional status within a place such as Korea, given the nature of their anti-establishment roots.

But as BMX and skateboarding are more than just sports, many Koreans who have been drawn to such physically demanding and challenging activities continue to push themselves to their limit for the feeling of freedom it provides in Korea's society of high expectations and stress. A bastion of hope, and a space to enjoy and build community with others seeking a positive respite to an existence of endless hard work.

Sarah Buhler lives and works in Seoul and volunteers with the curative collective, Crazy Multiply.