Documentary to air in the US honoring Korean Athletes

An hour-long documentary showcasing top Korean athletes will broadcast on major US networks in August and September.

The documentary title, “South Korea: Focused on Excellence” features the country’s top athletes including marathoner Sohn Kee-Chung who won the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The historical footage shows him bowing his head in shame when he received the award as a Japanese since Korea was under their rule at the time.

Other athletes include Yu-Na Kim, the 2010 Winter Olympic Figure Skating Champion, footballer Park Ji-Sung of Manchester United, baseball players Park Chan-Ho & Kim Hyun-Soo, and pro golfers Pak Se-Ri, Yang Yong-Eun and Shin Ju-Ya.

The documentary also includes interviews from aspiring Korean athletes as they train in their home country and talk about their dreams.

The man behind the documentary is Andrew Cho, a Korean-American, who runs a sports marketing agency in New York City. The Seoul metropolitan government provided funding and filming assistance to the American production.

The film airs in 120 cities across the US between August and September on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox. In LA, where there is a large Korean-American contingent, the documentary will air at 12:30pm on August 15, and in San Francisco, the same date but at 3pm. New Yorkers will have to wait for a later date some time in August.