[SPOTV News — Lee Seong-pil] Organizers have launched a program designed to help athletes transition to careers after retiring from competition.
The Seoul Olympic Memorial Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO), in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced on April 2 that it held a results‑sharing meeting for the \”2025 Athlete Job Stability Project\” to showcase success stories and encourage networking among participants.
Roughly 60 people attended the April 1 event at Olympic Parktel in Bangi‑dong, Songpa District, Seoul. Participants included athletes and officials involved in startup support, coach training and job‑placement programs.
The program opened with a keynote address from Jo Kyung‑hwan, a former professional baseball player who now leads a company. In an informal setting, participants went on to describe their journeys and reflect on what they had learned.
Notably, former professional basketball player Ha Seung‑jin, who is taking part in the startup incubator, drew attention with a presentation of his \”Aqua Plasma\” business plan. \”Commercialization grants and one‑on‑one mentoring helped me overcome early startup hurdles — from filing patents to producing prototypes,\” Ha said. \”I hope my efforts inspire more retired athletes to apply to this program.\”
An internship participant praised the initiative’s broader reach. \”Previous welfare programs tended to focus on national‑team athletes,\” the participant said. \”This project meaningfully expands opportunities for athletes who weren’t on national teams, which I found very significant.\”
KSPO said the program is proceeding smoothly this year following its debut last year. Applications are open now for the startup support track, and recruitment for the internship and coach‑training tracks will begin sequentially from April 6. For more information, visit the athlete welfare support portal, SPOWELL.
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