Questions to ask;
Why did you get into running?
How is the registration process for your races? Is it a pain? Did you need help from a Korean friend or the organization hosting the races?
How are your interactions with the other athletes? Is there a lot of camaraderie out there in the race?
What’s your favorite thing about running in Korea?
Compared to participating in other countries, does Korea pose any significant challenges?
How do you feel about sports equipment sold in Korea? Do you often order from overseas?
What is one tip you would tell any foreigner wishing to compete in Korea?
Questions for breakdancers.
Why did you get into Breakdancing?
When you’re buying outfits for breaking, do you have trouble shopping in Korea or is the market here fine for you? What’s your go-to shop for breaking clothes?
How do you find out about competitions? Is there a specific group that runs them or are they formed more organically?
Is there a competitive breaking market here in Korea or do you feel it’s bigger elsewhere in Asia?
How are your interactions with breakers in Korea versus other countries? Is there a more competitive atmosphere here or is it about the same as elsewhere?
Do you get to choose the music for your sets or is there a rigid music selection by the DJs running the throwdown?
What is one tip you would tell any foreigner wishing to compete in Korea?
Copy intro from previous episode.
Today we’re getting out the bicycles because we’re talking about individual sports *thunderstorm sounds* Oh crap rainy season is coming! Pedal faster! Pedal Faster! *thunderstorm sounds* Huf huff huffff! Whew… that was close. But yes, racing fans! We’re talking about cycling, running, and even breakdancing. If you want to feel the runner’s high and the tape breaking as you cross the finish line, or if you’re me and you’re dragged across the finish line in a wheezing heap, then you’ve come to the right podcast. I know a few people who like endurance sports and will gladly talk your ear off about it. I will play a few clips from my interviews with them in today’s episode. But first, some background.
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I didn’t see anything about races in the Joseon Dynasty in my cursory searches, but I was able to find that the Seoul Marathon started in 1931 and is the second oldest currently running marathon in the world after Boston’s. It is also Korea’s only gold label race and one of the few recognized with a World Heritage plaque from the IAAF in 2019. In the old days it used to go from Seoul to Yeondeungdo across the river and back. Also the Dong-A Ilbo newspaper bought it for a time in the 1940s and it was also known as the Dong -A Marathon. But it got shut down by the Japanese in the 1940s due to the occupation, and later the Korea war, returning in 1953. Just making sure you got the name right in case you wanna look up records. Usually the marathon is held in the middle of march with this year’s on March 16th. Marathons and their fun walks have become a bit popular in Korea these days, though not all of them are well run. In the Korean Herald last year, there was an article discussing how thousands more are participating and this has led to communities starting their own, but some are not going about it in a sensible way which has led to problems. Yes, I know, you’re shocked, shocked you tell me. How can there be gambling in this establishment, Captain Renault? *joke sting*. Anyway, problems have come up with inadequate road controls, in which the Busan marathon’s 5000 runners had to dodge pedestrians and bicyclists on the running path. They also had bad course maps, runners couldn’t find water until the 15th kilometer mark, and the post-race meal was a box of soy milk and a piece of white bread. Just the sort of experience that’ll bring people running back for more, let me tell you! Who doesn’t like eating prison food after an exhausting race? *joke sting* As far as finding races goes, I’ve found a few helpful sites that you should know about. On Ahotu dot com, they have a section devoted to South Korea with a filter for all races from no distance races all to way to ultramarathons and cycling as well. Here are a few races I saw for June, in case you’re interested and already in good shape or just wanna do a fun 5k run. On May 31st there’s the I LOVE Korea National Open University Marathon Festival in Mapo-gu Seoul. If you do this one, keep a mask handy. You’re gonna test your lungs. Next up is the Coffee Bbang Bbang Run in Gangneung on June 1st of course a coffee related thing has to be in Gangneung, like hongeo and Naju *joke sting*. Anyway I think there’s a free cream bread thing involved so there you go. Starting June 6 at 9pm in Busan there will be an ultramarathon starting at Euksukdo park on the nakdonggang river. And if you really want to abuse your body, there’s a regular marathon on Ulleungdo island on June 15th. I’ve been to the island before. It’s a wet, chilly, and very hilly place. It’ll probably be on the coastal roads so hills shouldn’t be a problem. But bring your dramamine, trust me on this.
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I talked to a few runners I know personally to learn why they chose running and what their experiences have been like in Korea. Here are some answers from Darrayh and Ryan.
So why did you get into running?
Ryan’s Line
How is the registration process for your races? Is it a pain? Did you need help from a Korean friend or the organization hosting the races?
Darrayh’s line:
How are your interactions with the other athletes? Is there a lot of camaraderie out there in the race?
Darrayh’s line:
Ryan’s Line
What’s your favorite thing about running in Korea?
Ryan’s Line:
Compared to participating in other countries, does Korea pose any significant challenges?
Ryan’s Line
How do you feel about sports equipment sold in Korea? Do you often order from overseas?
Ryan’s Line
What is one tip you would tell any foreigner wishing to compete in Korea?
Darrayh’s line: 04:03
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I talked to a few cyclists I know as well. Andrew and John were able to answer my questions. Here’s what they had to say about cycling in Korea.
Andrew’s line: Saw nice bike infrastructure and felt it inviting and safe, sense of freedom, speed became a wish.
How is the registration process for your races? Is it a pain? Did you need help from a Korean friend or the organization hosting the races?
John’s Line:
Andrew’s line
How are your interactions with the other athletes? Is there a lot of camaraderie out there in the race?
Andrew’s line:
What’s your favorite thing about cycling in Korea?
John’s Line
Compared to participating in other countries, does Korea pose any significant challenges?
John’s Line
Andrew’s line
How do you feel about sports equipment sold in Korea? Do you often order from overseas?
Andrew’s line:
John’s line
What is one tip you would tell any foreigner wishing to compete in Korea?
Andrew’s line:
As far as cycling goes, Ahotu also had race listings, but good luck getting registered. One Gran Fondo coming up is the H2 DREAM Samcheok Gran Fondo on June 7th and 8th. Also in Samcheok is the big penis sculpture park which you’ll probably have to ride past. Try not to get distracted *joke sting*. There’s also one called the Yeoncheon DMZ Rally on June 21st. Hopefully you won’t get bombarded by trash balloons *joke sting*. And the last one for the year on their list is the Tour de Jinan on Sept 27th. That’s in the mountains next to Muju.
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And before I forget, if you are too bored by running and cycling, there are triathlons in Korea. Running, swimming and cycling all in one race. Ain’t no way you’re getting bored now! *joke sting* Ahotu listed 3 tri’s coming up with one in Gunsan on the 8th, an ironman in Goseong on the 15th and another ironman in Gurye on Sept 28. There used to be one in Yeosu that my wife participated in a decade ago, but it seems to be gone. Speaking of wive’s, I will ask a few questions of her about triathlons.
So why did you get into triathlons?
Kristi’s line:
How is the registration process for your races? Is it a pain? Did you need help from a Korean friend or the organization hosting the races?
Kristi’s line:
How are your interactions with the other athletes? Is there a lot of camaraderie out there in the race?
Kristi’s line:
What’s your favorite thing about cycling in Korea?
Kristi’s line:
Compared to participating in other countries, does Korea pose any significant challenges?
Kristi’s line:
How do you feel about sports equipment sold in Korea? Do you often order from overseas?
Kristi’s line:
What is one tip you would tell any foreigner wishing to compete in Korea?
Kristi’s line:
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Contrary to popular belief, I actually consider breakdancing a sport. It’s a quote sport unquote because while the dancers aren’t bumping into each other, they are moving their bodies around on a hard floor. There are judges so it’s in the same realm as figure skating and rhythm gymnastics.
Jayce interview
Game of the week!
There might be some Saturday morning rain according to the forecast at the time of this writing but I’m hopeful it won’t stop anything. So this weekend I’m more excited to talk about baseball. The weekend series of LG vs SSG in Incheon seems like the one to watch, especially if LG can keep winning without their star outfielder whose knee is busted. In football I suggest Gwangju vs Gangwon on Monday at 4:30PM which is a really odd time for some reason. Therefore I also suggest Seoul vs Suwon FC on Saturday at 4:30PM but watch on TV dot KLeague dot com because it will have English commentary.
Worst Persons in the world.
I actually wasn’t planning this segment until I opened up the Joongang Daily. Today’s mostly a catch up on the other foibles and life failures of previous episodes. Yup, we’ve got updates! Who’s back on the board for worst persons in the sports world?! You might wanna get some popcorn because this is gonna take a while.
The Nap award goes to… Son Heung Min’s father and brother. They’re back in the news and it’s a doozy. You remember that last year the family members were facing charges filed by Chuncheon District court over their severe beating of a child player at their camp in Okinawa. In October, the District court ruled against them and ordered them and another coach to 40 hours of child abuse treatment programs and fines. According to reports in the Joongang Daily, The Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province Football Association’s Sports Fairness Committee issued a 3 month ban to Son Woong-Jung and the other coach but Son Heung-yun received a 6 month ban because he was the head coach. The suspensions are under appeal but take effect because there were human rights violations. So basically they’re off the field and away from your kids until this matter is settled. Still wanna send your kids there, soccer dads?
Next up is the Radon award, which goes to… Son Heung Min’s ex girlfriend and her 40 year old boyfriend. You might have heard all over the press that his ex-girlfriend has been blackmailing him to the tune of 300 million won. According to a report by the Chosun Ilbo, she contacted Son last year in June claiming to be pregnant with his child, presenting a purported ultrasound image as evidence. Son paid over 300 million won and the woman signed a written agreement not to disclose the alleged pregnancy. Things got spicy in March when the woman's new boyfriend contacted Son, demanding an additional 70 million won and threatening to leak the story to the media. Son refused to pay the second demand and reported the case to police, leading to their arrests. According to reports and a leaked transcript from Dispatch online, the woman was also hooked up with a businessman and told him that the baby could be his as well and that she didn’t know who the real father could be. Dispatch found about this when Yong the boyfriend found out about the blackmail agreement on her phone and contacted them, offering to provide the documents for 20 million won. Then he offered to sell her out to Son’s reps for 70 million won. Let’s just say they’re going to be sharing a jail cell with Hwang Ui-Jo’s family. In the meantime, Son Heung-Min should apply for UK citizenship, just be like “I don’t know them people” and never return.
And finally the Plutonium Award goes to who else but…. Gwangju FC, and the other teams of the K-League over the FIFA payments scandal. According to reports in the Joongang Daily, Gwangju FC got in trouble last year when they forgot to send $3,000 in solidarity contributions related to their signing of forward Jasir Asani to his former clubs per FIFA regulations. Gwangju said the club failed to make the payment because an employee in charge went on leave in September 2024 without sharing necessary information with coworkers. This is absolutely hilarious and very Korean at the same time. Information tends to be hoarded here, sometimes unnecessarily so, and it leads to situations where the organization takes a hit because someone fucked off and forgot to share. But I blame the team for not assigning an employee to check that employee’s work email while they were on leave. Who was working there anyway? Ethan the Gen Z guy from the Champagne Cruz videos *joke sting* (high pitched young voice) It’s friday, I got PTO! NOBODY EMAIL ME OK! *joke sting* (regular voice) Speaking of which, why didn’t the employee pay the money when they got back from leave? Did the email empty itself out after 50 days or some shit?! The team also didn’t know about this until this month because the KFA forwarded the FIFA email about the ban to the SAME employee on the team who was still on leave and the other team employee didn’t know about it. Seriously, how long has this employee been on leave? Is he undercover in Suriname? The K-League was also not in the loop because the KFA didn’t include them in the email loop. Which is again something that happens here often. Honestly I am surprised FIFA didn’t call Gwangju FC after they didn’t respond to the emails. You know, like “YO where’s the money at?” So anyhoo, Gwangju FC went about their business and signed new players in the offseason, but they weren’t supposed to do that because of the FIFA ban, which means they have 14 ineligible players. WHooo, that’s a pretty big number! It’s so bad that the teams Gwangju beat this year are petitioning the K-League, demanding that their losses be changed to forfeits. The K-League isn’t biting on this, but their hands are not clean about this either. Remember how last episode I brought up how Cheonan FC also got on the FIFA ban list? Well, guess who else was there? Yup, Gwangju FC. Why didn’t they call up Gwangju FC and ask them “yo, why are you on the list too?” So yeah, once again, Gwangju FC, the KFA, and the K-League are the worst persons in the Sport world! Can’t y’all stay outta trouble for like two episodes?! It’s all I really want!
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Ending
Thank you for tuning in today. We hope you learned something about Korean sports, like I certainly did. Pass this pod on to anyone interested in Korean sports and especially rookies because our show has hints and tips to make their lives easier. Those hapless souls…(2 second pause). If you wish to read along or contact the show, visit our website at hwatingsportspodcast dot com and everything you need is right there. Give our podcast 5 stars if you have time. Music notes like the opening song thanks to DumiAFava. Cover art thanks to James! A shoutout to our listeners in Lima Peru! Home of the Witches Market that sells the best frog smoothie on the continent! It’s to die from…er, for! Next episode will be a post-game show after the Softbank Hawks vs the Kia Tigers in Gwangju! Until next time, Korean sports fans!
(AI voice or other) Guests of the Hwai-ting sports podcast drink at the Rugby Room in the Mandarlorian Hotel in downtown Yong-san! Is your whisky sour not hitting hard enough? One of the burly manly staff members will hit you with a rugby ball before serving your drink. Need a drink with more kick? The Scrum, a cocktail of sweat from T-shirts and 150-proof Alberta Premium rye, is now on sale for 90 thousand a shot! If you kick a rugby ball through their patented ice wall at the back of the bar, you get a free shot of Lebron James’ mediocre tequila! You get two shots if you kick a non-rugby fan through the ice wall! That’s the Rugby Room, where boredom gets tackled.
Notes:
Seoul Marathon Selected as World Athletics Heritage
[WEEKEND GETAWAY] Hit the ground running at these five races in Korea
https://www.koreaherald.com/article/3408865
https://www.ahotu.com/event/ulleungdo-island-international-marathon
Korea cycling community Facebook group
Son Heung-min's father, brother suspended from coaching activities after child abuse convictions
Son Heung-min blackmail suspect told another man they could be the father
KFA in talks with FIFA over Gwangju's ban as K League clubs demand remedy