A forum is scheduled for February 24th at the National Assembly in Seoul, convened by Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Cho Kye-won, to discuss the inclusion of handball in South Korea’s Sports Toto betting system.
The forum, co-hosted by Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee Chairman Kim Kyo Heung, committee secretary Lim Oh Kyung and lawmakers Min Hyung Bae, Park Soo Hyun, and Yang Moon Seok, along with Education Committee lawmaker Kim Moon Soo, aims to address financial challenges facing the sport and explore avenues for increased public interest, and funding. According to a statement released by Cho Gye-won’s office, the initiative seeks to move handball beyond its reliance on government budgets and corporate sponsorships.
Handball, once a competitive force in international competitions including the Olympics, has struggled to maintain prominence. Lawmakers hope that incorporating the sport into Sports Toto – the nation’s sports promotion lottery – will provide a sustainable financial ecosystem. The discussion will also focus on developing handball into a more robust industry, mirroring the structures of baseball and soccer in South Korea, according to organizers.
Lim Oh-kyung, a former coach of the national handball team, is expected to lead discussions on policy and institutional reforms, focusing on practical solutions to improve the sport’s standing. Officials from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the National Sports Promotion Agency, and the Korea Sports Association are also expected to attend, alongside leaders and athletes from the Korea Handball Federation, according to reports.
Cho Gye-won is scheduled to deliver opening remarks emphasizing the importance of securing the future and public role of less-popular sports. Professor Kim Dae Hee of Pukyong National University is slated to present a development model for less-popular sports, advocating for a combination of corporate investment and government policy support.
The forum is intended to explore government-level institutional support to help handball and other less-popular sports regain competitiveness, as stated by Democratic Party lawmaker Cho Gye-won.