Korean archery association celebrates its 60th anniversary

The Korean Archery Association celebrated its 60th anniversary on 1 December 2023 with a ceremony at the Grand Walkerhilll Hotel in Seoul emblazoned with the motto ‘Aim Higher, Shoot Together’.

Federation president Chung Euisun joined Korea’s first Olympic Champion, Seo Hyang-Soon, and athletes past and present to commemorate six decades of success. 

“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have dedicated themselves to the development of Korean archery over the past 60 years,” said Chung. “As we celebrate this anniversary, we are here to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.”

“We must continue our efforts to bring archery closer to the public and we must also think about and implement ways to contribute to our society. As much as we need to earn the trust and love of the people, we need to take the social responsibility.”

Seo and her bronze-medal-winning teammate at Los Angeles 1984, Kim Jin-ho, are both professors at the Korean National University of Physical Education. 

“The current archers are amazing,” said Kim. “Seeing them shooting 10 and X with the last arrow… They’re amazing.”

Oh Jin Hyek, Kim Je Deok, An San and Kang Chae Young, all Olympic gold medallists from London 2012 to Tokyo 2020, were among the athletes attending.

“I am so honoured to meet the senior athletes that I only watched on TV when I first started archery as a child,” said Oh.

Korea has been the most dominant nation in archery at the Olympic Games, winning 43 medals – including 27 gold – since debuting in 1984. The recurve women’s team event, introduced for the Games in Seoul in 1988, has never been won by another nation.

The Korean women will shoot for a 10th consecutive title in 2024.

“I’ll train hard during the winter so I can compete in the Paris Olympics,” said An. “I want to show the great teamwork that makes a remarkable record of the 10 Olympics winning streak.”

Responsible for regulating and developing archery in Korea, the national federation joined World Archery in 1963.

The federation‘s president, Chung Euisun, is also the president of World Archery Asia.