sports museum-opening

▲ This photo provided by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation shows the hoop featured in the 1988 Seoul Olympics' opening ceremony. The hoop is currently on display at the National Sports Museum of Korea in Seoul. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea opened its first national museum dedicated to sports Thursday, housing some 70,000 items that trace the country's athletic history from early marathon triumphs to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The National Sports Museum of Korea was built by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation to exhibit Korean sporting history and systematically collect and preserve sports heritage from home and abroad, according to the ministry.

Located in a six-story building with two basement floors at Olympic Park in southern Seoul, the museum houses the gold medal won by Korean marathoner Suh Yun-bok at the 1947 Boston Marathon, soccer shoes that belonged to Korean football pioneer Kim Yong-sik, and the wrestling uniform of Yang Jung-mo, South Korea's first Olympic gold medalist.

Visitors can also view the torch used at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the hoop featured in the Games' opening ceremony.

About 150 people attended the museum's opening ceremony, including Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young, key figures from the sports and cultural scenes, and donors of sports heritage.

"The history of South Korean sports is not only the records set by athletes, but also the memories of all citizens who cheered and celebrated those moments," Chae said in a statement.

He added that he hopes the museum will preserve the country's sporting heritage and become a space where the public and future generations can share the challenges and inspiration embodied within it.

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