Fighting Spirit Amid Illness
The Determination of Young Athletes Saved the Professional Team from Disbandment
Lee Jongcheol, president of the Sejong City Tennis Association, stood in front of the media with student athletes opposing the disbandment of the professional team. Photo by Yonhap News (2025. 8.19)
Lee Jongcheol, CEO of Hyundai Liquor Trading Company, is a native entrepreneur who has established his business by operating a regional liquor distribution company for over 40 years. He is recognized as an exemplary manager who actively engages in social work to prevent youth from dropping out of school and from going astray, using a significant portion of his annual profits to support scholarship and welfare programs.
He has endured a long battle with illness, facing life-and-death moments. However, his health has recently improved rapidly, drawing attention to the reasons behind this recovery. Around the middle of this year, while he was still undergoing treatment, some sports officials and teenagers visited the hospital where he was receiving care. Their reason was singular: to ask him to protect their dreams and hopes. It was a heartfelt plea for him to safeguard their future so that they could pursue their aspirations and achieve their goals.
At that time, the Sejong City administration sparked controversy by deciding to disband the professional tennis team while simultaneously promoting the establishment of a new professional judo team. At the center of this controversy were the futures of young tennis prospects. The issue of disbanding the professional team spread beyond the sports community to the wider local society, leading to a petition campaign to withdraw the decision due to strong opposition.
The visitors to the hospital were members of the professional team and aspiring young athletes who were facing the threat of disbandment. Seeing them brought tears to CEO Lee’s eyes. He felt he had to do everything in his power to prevent the disbandment of the professional team, especially for the young athletes. Although his once-sturdy physique had become frail from illness and his strength had diminished, he stood before the media with his last ounce of energy to point out the injustice of the disbandment and to call for an immediate halt to the plan.
Lee also serves as the president of the Sejong City Tennis Association. He could not simply remain bedridden if he was to protect both the association and the professional and student teams. It was the aspiring student athletes who motivated him to return to the community during his illness. Now, he is showing an almost unbelievable recovery and has become more active than ever.
Recently, at a meeting organized by Sejong City Mayor Choi Minho with the heads of sports organizations, it was reported that the city decided to withdraw and scale back the plan to disband the professional team, respecting the opinions expressed by the sports organization leaders.
As a result, the plan to disband the professional team has been withdrawn, although it is expected that the team’s operations will be reduced.
In a recent interview, President Lee said, "This was only possible because the sports community in Sejong City united as one," and added, "As a sportsman, I will work to create an environment where athletes can train hard without worrying about their future, and I am proud to be part of this effort." He also expressed his gratitude to Mayor Choi for listening to the opinions of the sports community and reversing the decision.
He emphasized, "Although my drug treatment is not yet finished, I will continue to stay active in the community and take care of my health for the sake of our aspiring young athletes, rather than staying in the hospital."
Some have commented that it was the student athletes who helped President Lee overcome his illness. Despite the pain and hardship of his battle with illness, he could not turn his back on the student athletes, and this has made him even stronger.
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