Professional Sports, a History Written in Sweat
Sports
South Korea has professional leagues in sports: soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, e-sports and Go (baduk). Korean professional sports began to develop in 1982 when six professional baseball teams were born. Subsequently, the Korean football league started in 1983, followed by the professional basketball in 1997 and the professional volleyball in 2005. At present, professional sports are actively developed, centered on four professional sports leagues: football, baseball, basketball, and volleyball.
The four professional sports also demonstrated high performances in international competitions. The South Korea national football team advanced to the semifinals at the 2002 FIFA World Cup Korea/Japan, advanced to the round of 16 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, and won the bronze medal at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in 2012. The South Korean national baseball team won the gold medal in the final victory at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Olympics in 2008, came in second in the 2009 World Baseball Classic (WBC), and won the title in the WBSC Premier12 in 2015. Based on these achievements, the people’s interest in South Korean professional sports has been steadily increasing.
