Eom Bok-dong’s Bicycle

This is the bicycle ridden by Eom Bok-dong (1892–1951), a sporting hero of the Japanese colonial period. After winning the All-Joseon Bicycle Race in 1910, Eom competed in numerous races until his retirement in 1929, repeatedly besting Japanese riders with his superior skill. Although cycling was only one narrow field of sport, his victories brought the Korean people an enormous sense of national unity and pride in that bleak era of lost sovereignty, and he was hailed as a national hero. This bicycle, believed to have been made between 1910 and 1914, is a product of the British firm Rudge-Whitworth; the seven-digit number on its emblem (1065274) suggests it was a racing bicycle made to special order. After Eom Bok-dong used it, he passed it on to a younger rider, and the cyclist Park Seong-ryeol, who in turn received it, is said to have carried it on his back while fleeing during the Korean War. As the racing bicycle of Eom Bok-dong, the first sporting hero of the modern era, and as the oldest bicycle known to have been used in Korea, it is an artefact of great value, both symbolic and in the history of sport.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gangdong-gu, Seoul

Designation

Registered Cultural Heritage · 국가등록문화유산