Julio Ko (born in 1970, also known as 고병국, Byeong Guk Ko) is a

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

sea

kayaker A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word '' qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each s ...

and outdoor educator who has trained students and children in adaptive

paddling Paddling with regard to watercraft is the act of manually propelling a boat using a paddle. The paddle, which consists of one or two blades joined to a shaft, is also used to steer the vessel. The paddle is not connected to the boat (unlike in r ...

and

water sports Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

since 2009.

Biography

Ko was raised in

Gwangju Gwangju () is South Korea's sixth-largest metropolis. It is a designated metropolitan city under the direct control of the central government's Home Minister. The city was also the capital of South Jeolla Province until the provincial office ...

Gyeonggi-do Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, the na ...

, Korea whose father worked as a mason. At 23 he flew to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

to learn ocean sports. He was inspired by his relative Soo Kyung Kim (Julio's uncle) who studied automotives in the 1960s in Australia, and told Ko about beaches and active paddling sports in Australia. Ko attended

Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE TAFE NSW is an Australian vocational education and training provider. Annually, the network trains over 500,000 students in campus, workplace, online, or distance education methods of education. It was established as an independent statutory bod ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia, where he met surfers and kayakers in Sydney. In 2009, he founded Namhae

Kayak A kayak is a small, narrow watercraft which is typically propelled by means of a double-bladed paddle. The word kayak originates from the Greenlandic word ''qajaq'' (). The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each se ...

Club, the first local Sea Kayak Club in Korea. He has invited five thousand kids from World Vision and Government funded low income families, orphans, and lower-body disabled people for teaching adaptive paddling and water safety. In 2010 Ko circumnavigated Namhae Island, in 21 hours 50 minutes. In 2011, he introduced and began teaching

surf ski A surfski (or: "surf ski", "surf-ski") is a type of kayak in the kayaking "family" of paddling craft. It is generally the longest of all kayaks and is a performance oriented kayak designed for speed on open water, most commonly the ocean, althoug ...

ocean racing for the first time in Korea. He took part in the

American Canoe Association The American Canoe Association (ACA) is the oldest and largest paddle sports organization in the United States, promoting canoeing, kayaking, and rafting. The ACA sponsors more than seven hundred events each year, along with safety education, in ...

(ACA) Level 4 Instructor's Workshop in

Half Moon Bay Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, United States, approximately south of San Francisco. Its population was 11,795 as of the 2020 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is Pillar Point Harbor and the un ...

, California. During cold water sessions he learned safety fundamentals of the kayaking from Bryant Burkhardt (Level 5 Instructor of ACA). In December 2012, Ko was elected as president of the Korean Sea Kayak Association, which is the first and the only

sea kayak A sea kayak or touring kayak is a kayak developed for the sport of paddling on open waters of lakes, bays, and the ocean. Sea kayaks are seaworthy small boats with a covered deck and the ability to incorporate a spray deck. They trade off the man ...

organization in association with the

Korea Coast Guard The Korean Coast Guard (KCG; ko, 해양경찰청; Hanja: , Revised Romanization: Haeyang-gyeongchal-cheong, literally ''Maritime Police Agency'') is a South Korean law enforcement sub-agency responsible for maritime safety and control off th ...

. As Namhae-gun became known as a kayaking destination following Namhae Kayak Club's effort, millions of dollars were funded by government to make this Southern rural town as a center of sea kayaking. Namhae-gun invited and awarded Ko for consulting and 'Namhae Waterpark Project' was invented after years of study and survey. The adjacent cities of Goksung-gun and

Sacheon Sacheon () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Sacheon's chief fame comes from its being the site of two naval battles in the Seven Year War. The city as it now exists results from the merging of Sacheon-gun and Samcheonpo-si in ...

-si invited Ko for consulting and he was received by the mayors of both cities. in 2013, Ko moved his education sites to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

, and then to

Geoje Geoje (Hangeul: ; Hanja: 巨濟; ) is a city located in South Gyeongsang province, just off the coast of the port city of Busan, South Korea. Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (former Daewoo Shipyard) in Okpo and Samsung Heavy Industries (SH ...

-si. He founded Okpo Kayak Club in Wahyun Beach, Geoje-si. He met Fabien Nion, a former rower in France, and they worked to grow the club into current size. Education activities currently support over a hundred members under the same goal of spreading sea kayaking in Korea. He is working for a

shipbuilding Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other floating vessels. It normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation that traces its roots to befor ...

(

oil and gas A fossil fuel is a hydrocarbon-containing material formed naturally in the Earth's crust from the remains of dead plants and animals that is extracted and burned as a fuel. The main fossil fuels are coal, oil, and natural gas. Fossil fuels ...

) company and hosting weekends' full day, and weekdays' evening paddling volunteer lesson programs with support of Okpo

club members in

, Korea.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ko, Julio Living people 1970 births People from Gwangju, Gyeonggi Sportspeople from Gyeonggi Province