(LEAD) S. Korea's 1st nat'l sports museum opens in Seoul

SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea opened its first national museum dedicated to sports Thursday, housing some 70,000 items that trace the country's athletic history from early marathon triumphs to the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The National Sports Museum of Korea was built by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation to exhibit Korean sporting history and systematically collect and preserve sports heritage from home and abroad, according to the ministry.

Located in a six-story building with two basement floors at Olympic Park in southern Seoul, the museum houses the gold medal won by Korean marathoner Suh Yun-bok at the 1947 Boston Marathon, soccer shoes that belonged to Korean football pioneer Kim Yong-sik, and the wrestling uniform of Yang Jung-mo, South Korea's first Olympic gold medalist.

Visitors can also view the torch used at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and the hoop featured in the Games' opening ceremony.

About 150 people attended the museum's opening ceremony, including Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young, key figures from the sports and cultural scenes, and donors of sports heritage.

"Even when our nation was deprived of its sovereignty, our people preserved their national identity through sports," Chae said in a congratulatory speech during the ceremony. "The National Sports Museum of Korea will become a precious space where the records and heritage of our sports are preserved at the national level and their value is passed on to future generations," he said.

Ha Hyung-joo, chairman of the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation that operates the museum, said he hoped it would serve as a hub linking sports and cultural facilities nationwide and a place where future generations learn the values of challenge and respect.

"I hope it becomes a starting point for remembering the brilliant past of South Korean sports and walking together toward an even greater tomorrow," he added.