• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.48-57
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• 2020

This study was aimed to determine the history of Son keechung laurel tree, which is designated and managed as Seoul Metropolitan Government Monument No. 5. Sohn keechung's victory in the marathon at the 1936 Berlin Olympics served as an opportunity to encourage great pride and national spirit for the Korean people's national spirit who had spent their painful days under Japanese colonial rule. The seedlings that Son keechung received at the time are currently growing at Son Keechung Sports Park on the hill in Manri-dong, west of Seoul Station, and are Quercus palustris. That variety of Tree is native to the United States. The 11th Berlin Olympics, held in 1936, is a golden opportunity for Hitler to show off the history and cultural excellence of the German race, so it does not make sense to award victors an American giant oak instead of the German oak tree. The Seoul Metropolitan Government and various media outlets made a fait accompli due to Hitler's simple mistake. However, this study revealed that the laurel that Son received was the Quercus robur, based on the articles of the Korean newspaper, the German daily newspaper, and the recently introduced article of Der Spiegel, a leading German weekly magazine. Based on these circumstances, I would like to suggest that the originally awarded Quercus robur be planted in Son keechung Memorial Park and that the newly discovered history be notified on the Seoul Metropolitan Government website and various records.