Culture ministry opens 107th National Sports Festival in Jeju
South Korea's largest multi-sport event runs Oct. 16-22 in Jeju with about 30,000 athletes and officials competing in 50 sports.
JEJU — The culture ministry opened the 107th National Sports Festival on Friday in Jeju, South Korea's largest multi-sport event, drawing about 30,000 athletes and officials across 50 sports.
Minister Choe Hwi-young declared the games open at a ceremony at 6 p.m. at Jeju World Cup Stadium, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said. The festival runs through Oct. 22 at 74 venues across the province.
The competition features 49 official sports and one demonstration sport, jiu-jitsu, split into under-18, university, general and overseas Korean divisions. The Korean Sport and Olympic Committee organized the event, with the Jeju provincial government, the Jeju Provincial Office of Education and the Jeju Provincial Sports Council co-hosting.
At the opening ceremony, judoka Lee Hyun-ji, a silver medalist at this year's Asian Games, was the final torchbearer. National team athletes including fencer Oh Sang-uk and archer Kim Woo-jin, who competed at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, are among the entrants.
The ceremony is being broadcast live on KBS 1TV. All events are free to attend, with schedules and venue information available on the official website.
What this article is based on
Every fact in this article can be checked against the primary documents below.
- Government문화체육관광부 정부 보도자료· Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism· accessed Oct. 17, 2026
- Government출처(공식 보도자료 원문)· korea.kr· accessed Oct. 17, 2026
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