"By the Grace of God"... Seoul Olympic Gold Medal at the Center of Controversy Returns to Its Rightful Owner

Park Siheon and Roy Jones Jr. Reunite After 35 Years
The 1988 Seoul Olympic Final Revisited
Controversial Gold Medal Returned With an Emotional Apology

Park Siheon (59), the men's light middleweight boxing gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and currently the head boxing coach for Seogwipo City Hall, was recently revealed to have met Roy Jones Jr. (56) of the United States, his opponent in the Olympic final, for the first time in 35 years.

According to Yonhap News on September 6, Roy Jones Jr. posted a video on his social media on September 4 (Korean time), showing his meeting with Park Siheon.

In the video, Park Siheon visited Roy Jones Jr., who lives in Pensacola, Florida, and greeted him with a warm hug. Park Siheon said, "I have waited for you for 36 years (actually 35 years)," and took out his gold medal to show Jones Jr.

Park Siheon met Roy Jones Jr. of the United States (right), his opponent in the boxing final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Photo by Roy Jones Jr. via social media.

Park Siheon and Roy Jones Jr. faced each other in the boxing final at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Park Siheon won by a 3-2 decision, securing the 12th gold medal for the South Korean team. However, the match sparked controversy over biased judging, leading to disciplinary action against three judges, with two of them receiving lifetime bans. This incident became a turning point that led to changes in the amateur boxing judging system.

In the video, Park Siheon said, "This is the gold medal from the 1988 Seoul Olympics. I took the gold medal at home back then. Now I know it was wrong. This gold medal belongs to you," and handed the medal to Roy Jones Jr. Overcome with emotion, Jones Jr. was seen in tears. The video was reportedly filmed in 2023.

Through his social media, Roy Jones Jr. commented, "In 1988, I was robbed of the gold medal in one of the most controversial matches in boxing history. But by the grace of God, the man who won that medal came all the way to my hometown to return it to me."

A boxing official stated, "Jones Jr.'s side had been trying to invite Park Siheon to the United States for several years," but added that it is not known whether the gold medal was actually handed over. Their story also became the subject of this year's film 'Count.'

After the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Park Siheon transitioned to a coaching career, serving as a physical education teacher at Jinhae Jungang High School in Gyeongnam, then as a national team coach in 2001, and as the head coach for the national team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. He is currently the head boxing coach at Seogwipo City Hall, nurturing the next generation of athletes.