| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | South Korean |
| Born | 1930 |
| Died | 1951 |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event | Discus throw |
Pak Bong-sik (1930 - 1951) was a South Korean athlete. She competed in the women's discus throw at the 1948 Summer Olympics. [1] She was the first woman to represent South Korea at the Olympics. [2]
Pak Bong-sik played various sports including basketball before focusing on athletics and discus throw. She studied in Korea and in China, where she was taught a physical education different from the education in her country. [3] She beat the world record in a domestic contest in Korea in 1948 [4] [5] (not recognized by IAAF), [6] she competed in the women's discus throw at the 1948 Summer Olympics, finishing 18th out of 22. [4] [7]
She was the first woman to represent South Korea at the Olympics; [5] [8] she said to Dong-a Ilbo on June 20, 1948 :
I feel a little sad because I'm the only woman. For the future, I request that more Korean women participate in such competitions. [9]
She beat the national record in 1949 with a jump at 39.65 m. [4] In June 1950, she suffers from an acute appendicitis but delays her operation in order to participate in the national championship where she makes a throw at 39.57 m. [4] She died of meningitis in 1951, in the middle of the Korean War. [10]
