High school students who are passionate about sports and interested in pursuing a business major in college may have contemplated sports management as a potential career path.

Similar to a prior article featuring an art photographer with a literature major, this interview covers the experiences of CEO Dong Hoi Koo, a literature major who has become the representative of a leading sports management company in Korea.

In South Korea, raising public awareness on a variety of sports beyond the mainstream ones has been steadily growing in the last decade, and as such, multiple agencies are racing to foster a sports-friendly environment and grow participation.

Established in 2010, ‘All That Sports’ stands out as one of these sports marketing companies, successfully managing athletes such as former Olympic figure skater Yuna Kim, short tracker Minjeong Choi, and most recently, Asian Games gold medalists like golfer Seongjae Lim and swimmer Sunwoo Hwang.

While the company primarily focuses on securing sponsorships, organizing game schedules, and managing product licensing for their athletes, a conversation with CEO Dong Hoi Koo revealed a larger vision.

The company aims to bring more exposure to a variety of sports such as golf, climbing, bobsleigh, swimming, gymnastics, breakdancing, skateboarding, snowboarding, among other unexplored fields.

Koo, however, succinctly emphasized that despite being in its infant stages, the company’s biggest obstacle lies in public awareness.

While many may have heard of these newfound sports, the majority would struggle to name a star associated with each, especially if they are Korean (except perhaps in golf).

Additionally, the unpredictable nature of an athlete’s performance and trophy placement poses limitations in securing sponsorships and advertising.

The shortage of staff further adds to these challenges, as Koo attests to the abundance of manual labor hours and schedule conflicts in his 32 years of experience as both a reporter and a marketer.

“The company has to handle activities in the sports market with a small workforce, while the area of sport itself is very wide”, he explained.

Even the retired athletes offer their guidance and wisdom to the rookies, playing the role of mentors to the next generation of athletes due to the company’s finite resources.

Beyond that though, their goal is to unearth undiscovered talent and nurture current athletes, a process exemplified in Koo’s relationship with figure skater Yuna Kim.

“When Yuna Kim first joined, she was not a well-known athlete. And as she grew into a superstar, the popularity of figure skating did as well.”

Both Koo and the mentors foresee the potential impact of their efforts, aiming to inflate opportunities for the public to explore new hobbies and experiences, ultimately supporting their mission statement to “become a pioneer that maximizes sports value and seek to expand the market.”

Their commendable passion for sharing a variety of activities, reaching to a wider audience, and developing cultural interactions is indeed welcoming news.

Open to sports and new experiences would open up the way to foster cultural interaction and expand entertainment.

Here’s to the hope that many embrace new sports hobbies, contributing to the growth of this vibrant culture.

Hayeon Shin

Grade 11

Saint Johnsbury Academy Jeju