tem to support competitive sports organizations in strengthening their activities. The network has had great results.

Taking the opportunity of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, Olympic support centers were established to support top-level competitors. At present, there are 20 such centers throughout the country, where approximately 3,800 athletes are being trained. These athletes are divided into Class A international level athletes, Class B domestic top-level athletes, and Class C junior representative athletes.

## (3) Promotion Regime for Sports Administration

Within the federal government, the Ministry of the Interior is in charge of sports. The Ministry plays a central role in giving support to top-level competitive sports representing the country, including support to improve international competitiveness and host international competition. State governments have jurisdiction over school physical education and regional sports promotion.

## 5 Republic of Korea (South Korea)

## (1) School Physical Education

Physical education classes are provided to children in grades 1 to 12 in primary and secondary education. For children in the first and second grades, physical education is provided as a part of a subject for “joyful living.” For children in the 3rd to 10th grades, physical education is provided as a mandatory subject. For children in the 11th and 12th grades, physical education is an optional subject and provided under the subjects of “physical education and health,” “physical education practical skills,” or “physical education theory.”

Class hours are set at three hours a week for children in the third to eighth grades, for whom the classes are mandatory, and two hours a week for children in the 9th and 10th grades.

The targets and details of physical education differ by subject. The nature, goals, content, teaching methods, and evaluation criteria are set in detail for each of the subjects. For mandatory classes, the details of activities are set as a part of the curriculum, and all schoolchildren throughout the country need to engage themselves in these core activities as a minimum requirement. The details of the optional classes can be flexible in view of the characteristics of local communities and schools and according to requests from teachers and pupils.

Health issues are taught not as an independent subject but as a part of physical education.

## (2) Lifelong Sports and Competitive Sports

According to a survey conducted in 2003 on the participation of citizens in leisure activities, 33% of citizens (aged 15 or older) do some form of exercise or sports at least twice or thrice a week. According to the National Lifelong Sports Council (described later), the number of sports clubs is approximately 70,000, which are divided into 109 types.

In South Korea, athletes who had excellent results at the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Universiade, and other single-event international competition are granted pensions as rewards. “Points” are set for each competition and ranking, and the athletes, depending on the points they have won, are qualified for a pension.

▲ Front entrance of the Taenung National Center

In South Korea, the South Korea Sports Association supervises competitive sports organizations and the National Lifelong Sports Council supervises lifelong sports organizations. Both of these organizations have a branch in each of the basic local public entities as well as in each of the wide-area local public entities composed of several basic local public entities all throughout the nation.

## (3) Promotion Regime for Sports Administration

The Sports Bureau of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism takes charge of sports-related issues and provides various services in relation to competitive and lifelong sports activities. The Ministry of Education and Human Resources has jurisdiction over school physical education.