Son Kee-chung Peace Marathon commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation, and Son Kee-chung's name and nationality correction campaign held on the 16th

Nov 15, 2025

Son Kee-chung Peace Marathon commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation, and Son Kee-chung's name and nationality correction campaign held on the 16th



Son Kee-chung Peace Marathon commemorating the 80th anniversary of liberation, and Son Kee-chung's name and nationality correction campaign held on the 16th
The '2025 Son Kee-chung Peace Marathon' will be held at Goyang Stadium on the 16th in honor of Son Ki-jung, Korea's first sports hero and marathon winner at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In this year's competition, a signature campaign was held specifically to ask the IOC to mark the Korean nationality and the English name (SON KEE CHUNG) in Korean, adding to its meaning.

The competition will be co-hosted by the Son Kee-chung Memorial Foundation and Sportby News as part of the government's commemorative project for the 80th anniversary of liberation, and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Goyang Special City. Under the slogan 'Hwangbok is freedom', about 15,000 participants in three events, including full course, half, and 10km, will be held as the only special race in Korea that runs on the second free road without a vehicle.

At the venue, the Son Kee-chung Memorial Foundation will launch a signature campaign asking the IOC to correct Son's nationality to 'Korea' and his name 'SON KEE CHUNG'.




Currently, Son Ki-jung's nationality is marked as Japan and his name is marked as 'KITEISON' on the first screen of the IOC's official record. Although some of the historical background that forced the government to use Japanese nationality was introduced due to continuous efforts by the government and the sports community, the uncorrected nationality and name notation still leave the symbol of a sad winner for Son Ki-jung.

The foundation emphasized the historical significance of the signing movement ahead of the 90th anniversary of Son Ki-jung's victory at the 2026 Berlin Olympics.

Son Ki-jung is considered a symbolic figure who regains Japanese colonial era and national pride. Marking the 80th anniversary of liberation in 2025, the National Museum of Korea has been selected as a symbol of overcoming the national crisis along with Admiral Yi Sun-shin, and the value of the times is being re-examined to the extent that a special exhibition is prepared.




The signature campaign will begin at the site of the competition on the 16th and continue at the Sohn Kee-chung Memorial until the IOC submission in August 2026.

Chairman of the Son Kee-chung Memorial Foundation Kim Sung-tae said, `Son Ki-jung is a person who has been carrying the pain of the imperial era until now,' adding, `Now, the IOC should correct its nationality and name so that the IOC can record his victory with joy and pride.'





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.