South Korea at the Olympics facts for kids

Quick facts for kids South Korea at the Olympics
IOC code	KOR
NOC	Korean Olympic Committee
Website
Medals Ranked 18th	Gold Silver Bronze Total 142 130 127 399
Summer appearances
1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
Winter appearances
1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
Other related appearances
Japan (1932–1936) Korea (2018)

South Korea first joined the Olympic Games in 1948. Since then, the country has sent athletes to almost every Summer Olympic Games. They only missed the 1980 Summer Olympics because they chose not to participate. South Korea has also been part of nearly every Winter Olympic Games since 1948, missing only the 1952 games.

The first Korean athletes to win medals did so at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Sohn Kee-chung won a gold medal, and Nam Sung-yong won a bronze medal in the men's marathon. At that time, Korea was controlled by Japan, so the Olympic committee officially gave these medals to Japan.

South Korea won its first medals as an independent country in 1948. They won their first gold medal in 1976. Overall, South Korean athletes have won 287 medals at the Summer Games. Most of their gold medals are in archery. They have also won 79 medals at the Winter Games, mostly in short track speed skating. South Korea has won more medals in short track speed skating than any other country since it became an Olympic sport in 1992.

The group in charge of Olympic sports for Korea is the Korean Olympic Committee. It was started in 1946 and officially recognized in 1947.

Between 1998 and 2007, during a time of friendly relations, South Korea and North Korea marched together. They did this at the opening ceremonies of the 2000, 2004, and 2006 Olympics. However, they still competed as separate teams in the games.

South Korea as an Olympic Host

South Korea has hosted the Olympic Games two times.

Hosting the Summer Games

Hosting the Winter Games

Unsuccessful Bids to Host

South Korea also tried to host the Winter Olympics two other times but was not chosen.

South Korea's Olympic Medals

When you see a purple border around a year in the tables below, it means the games were held in South Korea.

Medals at Summer Olympics Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1912–1936 as part of  Japan (JPN) 1948 London 50 0 0 2 2 32 1952 Helsinki 19 0 0 2 2 37 1956 Melbourne 35 0 1 1 2 29 1960 Rome 36 0 0 0 0 – 1964 Tokyo 154 0 2 1 3 27 1968 Mexico City 54 0 1 1 2 36 1972 Munich 42 0 1 0 1 33 1976 Montreal 50 1 1 4 6 19 1980 Moscow did not participate 1984 Los Angeles 175 6 6 7 19 10 1988 Seoul 401 12 10 11 33 4 1992 Barcelona 226 12 5 12 29 7 1996 Atlanta 300 7 15 5 27 10 2000 Sydney 281 8 10 10 28 12 2004 Athens 264 9 12 9 30 9 2008 Beijing 267 13 11 8 32 7 2012 London 248 13 9 9 31 5 2016 Rio de Janeiro 204 9 3 9 21 8 2020 Tokyo 237 6 4 10 20 16 2024 Paris 144 13 9 10 32 8 2028 Los Angeles future event Total 109 100 111 320 15

Medals at Winter Olympics Games Athletes Gold Silver Bronze Total Rank 1928 St. Moritz as part of  Japan (JPN) 1932 Lake Placid 1936 Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1948 St. Moritz 3 0 0 0 0 – 1952 Oslo did not participate 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo 4 0 0 0 0 – 1960 Squaw Valley 7 0 0 0 0 – 1964 Innsbruck 7 0 0 0 0 – 1968 Grenoble 8 0 0 0 0 – 1972 Sapporo 5 0 0 0 0 – 1976 Innsbruck 3 0 0 0 0 – 1980 Lake Placid 10 0 0 0 0 – 1984 Sarajevo 15 0 0 0 0 – 1988 Calgary 28 0 0 0 0 – 1992 Albertville 23 2 1 1 4 10 1994 Lillehammer 24 4 1 1 6 6 1998 Nagano 38 3 1 2 6 9 2002 Salt Lake City 48 2 2 0 4 14 2006 Turin 41 6 3 2 11 7 2010 Vancouver 46 6 6 2 14 5 2014 Sochi 71 3 3 2 8 13 2018 Pyeongchang 122 5 8 4 17 7 2022 Beijing 64 2 5 2 9 14 2026 Milan/Cortina future event Total 33 30 16 79 15

Most Successful South Korean Olympians

Here are some of the South Korean athletes who have won the most medals at the Olympic Games.

A South Korean volunteer at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games.

Hosted Olympic Logos and Mottos

1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul

The 1988 Summer Olympics were held in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea. This was the first time the Olympics took place in the country.

The logo for these games was a colorful, rounded symbol that looked like the Olympic rings. The motto for the games was Harmony and Progress.

2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang

The 2018 Winter Olympics brought the Olympic Games back to Korea. They were held in Pyeongchang.

The official logo of the 2018 Winter Olympics

The logo for these games had five intertwined wings. These wings represented the five continents of the world: Africa, America, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. The motto for the games was Passion. Connected.

See also

In Spanish: Corea del Sur en los Juegos Olímpicos para niños

• South Korea at the Paralympics
• List of flag bearers for South Korea at the Olympics
• Category:Olympic competitors for South Korea
• South Korea at the Asian Games