Ssireum Wrestler Groom

“This is all I could give to my bride.”

The groom, who had promised the winning trophy to his bride for a wedding present, placed all his efforts in the ssireum (Korean wrestling) ring. Yet, Mo Jae-wook (29 years old, LG Investment and Securities) could not place in the top even once this year due to an injured left Achilles tendon and right knee. However, his devotion towards winning brought a miracle.

Mo Jae-wook will be marrying Park Young-joo (28 years old) at the LG Champions’ Park in Guri at 6:00 p.m on October 23. He ascended to the top at the Halla class finals, keeping to his promise, at the 2004 Guri Ssireum Championships held at the Guri Gymnasium in the Gyeonggi Province on October 22, one day before the wedding.

Mo captured his 10th victory in the Halla class at the Boryeong tournament in May, but with his repeated injuries, he fell into a long slump. Nonetheless, he still exemplified various techniques including “bitjang-guri,” “bburyeo-chigi,” and “jabchaegi,” and in doing so, beat his team member Kim Gi-tae by the score of 3-2.

Mo, who has returned to the top in one year and five months, said, “After I get married, I will train even harder. I wish to be the first to record the most wins (13 wins) in the Halla class.”

Ranking in the Halla class—

①Mo Jae-wook ②Kim Gi-tae ③Kang Dong-hoon (first three in LG Investment & Securities) ④Jo Bum-jae(Shin-chang Construction) ⑤Kim Yong-dae(Hyundai) ⑥Lee Jun-woo(Shin-chang Construction) ⑦Nam Dong-woo(LG Investment & Securities) ⑧Kim Sun-chang(Shin-chang Construction)

Soon-Il Kwon stt77@donga.com