Naturalized marathoner Oh Joo-han has set his eyes on winning a medal at next year's Tokyo Olympic Games.
With the South Korean flag on his chest, Oh says he will try his best to represent his second home.
Our Kan Hyeong-woo has the story.
Oh Joo-han, a Kenyan-born runner and naturalized citizen of South Korea, always wears a wristband designed with the Korean national flag - which was made by his mother in Kenya.
Oh said being able to represent Korea is very special to him.
"The Korean flag on my chest is the love I have for Korea. I love running for Korea. I want to compete for Korea. So I think having the flag is very meaningful for me."
The 30-year old Kenyan-born runner said his Korean agent played a major role in his decision to represent South Korea.
He said winning several international marathons in Korea since 2011 also affected his decision.
Oh eventually was officially naturalized as a South Korean citizen last year.
And just last month, the 30-year old runner became the first South Korean to secure his ticket to represent the country at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics... after finishing the 2019 Gyeongju International Marathon in 2-hours 8-minutes and 42 seconds.
"If all goes well,… I hope I can be in the top three and get a medal. I will train my best and fight for the top three."
The naturalized runner said he has been getting a lot of support from both Koreans and Kenyans, as well as media attention.
He added he's not taking anything for granted.
"To my supporters, I love you all. I will not let you down. I will do my best to make you proud with my running."
Oh Joo-han and his coach plan to go back to Kenya sometime in November for a winter training session before coming back to Korea for the Seoul International Marathon in March 2020.
Kan Hyeong-woo, Arirang News, Cheongyang.