Mayor Lee Jangwoo: "We Will Consider Rewards for the Two Athletes"
Mayor Lee Jangwoo is taking a commemorative photo with athletes Oh Sangwook and Park Sangwon. / Daejeon City
At 10:20 a.m. on the 8th, as Oh Sangwook and Park Sangwon entered through the North Gate 1 of Daejeon City Hall, the crowd erupted in applause and cheers.
Oh Sangwook, who secured Korea's first gold medal at the Paris Olympics and went on to become a double gold medalist with another victory in the team event, received a warm welcome from his team at Daejeon City Hall.
Oh, Park, Coach Kim Taeyoung, and others received bouquets from a staff representative and expressed their gratitude to the citizens of Daejeon for their enthusiastic support.
They then visited the mayor's office for a meeting with Daejeon Mayor Lee Jangwoo.
On the morning of the 8th, about 200 Daejeon City Hall employees and citizens held a welcoming event for athletes Osang Wook and Park Sangwon. Photo by Park Jongmyung, Daejeon
Mayor Lee presented the athletes with hats and T-shirts, official merchandise from the Daejeon 0 O'Clock Festival, while the athletes gifted him fencing swords signed and used during the Paris Olympics.
Mayor Lee stated, "The achievements of Oh Sangwook and Park Sangwon have become a source of pride and honor for the citizens of Daejeon," and added, "We will consider appropriate rewards for the two athletes to ensure their accomplishments are duly recognized."
He continued, "With the establishment of the Woosong University fencing team, we now have a sports system that connects high school, university, and professional teams. Daejeon City has been preparing to build a fencing gymnasium in anticipation of the 2027 Summer World University Games. I promised to name the gymnasium after Oh Sangwook if he won gold in Paris, and I am delighted that this promise can now be fulfilled."
Oh Sangwook said, "The idea of a gymnasium being named after me felt like a heavy responsibility, but it gave me the strength to achieve good results. Daejeon is my home, and I am happy to make my name known here. I will strive to become an athlete who surpasses Seongsimdang."
Park Sangwon added, "This was my first Olympics, and it was an opportunity for growth. Thank you for supporting me even late into the night. I, too, will work hard to build my career so that one day there can be a Park Sangwon Gymnasium that surpasses Seongsimdang."
Oh Sangwook and Park Sangwon are also scheduled to participate in the opening ceremony of the '2024 Daejeon 0 O'Clock Festival' on the 9th.
Oh Sangwook was born in Daejeon and is a true "Daejeon man," having graduated from Maebong Elementary, Maebong Middle, Songchon High, and the Department of Sports Science at Daejeon University. After starting his career at Seongnam City Hall in 2019, he returned to his hometown in 2022 when the Daejeon City Hall sabre team was established.
Although he experienced a slump after the Tokyo Olympics, he steadily rehabilitated and won first place in the men's individual event at the 2023 Seoul International Grand Prix. With his gold medal in the individual event at the Paris Olympics, he became the first Korean to achieve a Grand Slam by winning four major tournaments: the World Championships, Asian Championships, Asian Games, and the Olympics.
Park Sangwon played a pivotal role in Korea's third consecutive Olympic victory in the men's sabre team event, performing outstandingly against the world's top athletes. Born in Daejeon, he attended Maebong Middle and Songchon High, graduated from Korea National Sport University, and joined Daejeon City Hall in 2023.
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