Marathoner’s Statue

[Anchor Lead]

In order to run in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Korean marathoner Son Kee-chung had to compete under the Japanese flag. A statue of the legendary Korean athlete has been erected on the very course he ran during the Berlin games. On the statue, a Korean flag appears on his shirt.

[Pkg]

Korean marathoner Son Kee-chung won the gold medal in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, but was tragically forced to do so under the Japanese flag. Son ran in the Olympics during Japan's colonial occupation of Korea. His statue has been erected on the very course he competed on at the time. The statue is located about 500 meters from the Berlin Olympic stadium. A Korean flag is clearly printed on his shirt.

[Soundbite] Lee Jun-seung(Son's Grandson) : "I'm very moved to see the installation of the statue to promote Son Kee-chung as a Korean. I'm sure my grandfather would be rejoicing too."

The statue was actually made ten years ago in 2006. Due to difficulty in finding an ideal location, the statue was kept at the Korean Embassy until now. However, the Son Kee-chung Memorial Foundation and Berlin's municipal sports association finally reached an agreement to place the statue at its new home to mark the 80th anniversary of Son's Olympic win.

[Soundbite] Kim Seong-tae(Son Kee-chung Memorial Foundation) : "I felt great pride to unveil Son's statue bearing the Korean flag near the Berlin stadium."

Following the statue's installation, the Son foundation will also begin earnest efforts on the global stage and with the International Olympic Committee to restore Son's Korean nationality and his Korean name.