ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to provide a historical overview of the development of modern sport in Korean history. From the influx of Western sport in the late 19th century to the agonizing colonial period, to the proliferation of government-driven sport systems and policies in the 1960s and 1970s, to the corporate supported professional sport system that began in the 1980s, Korea has become a sport powerhouse on the global stage. The development and policy behind sport have been grounded in an elite sport agenda and in nationalistic discourses directed toward maintaining authoritarian regimes. As the nation looks to various internal and external changes in the future, we propose a paradigm shift for the Korean government and other stakeholders as they re-think the value of sport.
