The 1988 Official Report

The official records of the Seoul Olympic Games are the two volumes of tabloid official report and the 35-mm color official documentary film entitled Seoul, 1988 The official report was compiled in Korean (2,000 copies), English (2,000 copies) and French (1,000 copies). The first volume deals with the operation of the Games from the efforts to win the right to stage the Olympics to the conclusion of the Games and the post-Games management. The volume equivalent to 7,000 sheets of 200- letter Korean manuscript paper describes all the details with accompanying photos, figures and diagrams. The second volume covers competition results from all events in the 27 sports, including the official sports, demonstration and exhibition sports. The compilation of the official report was based on the collection of records on preparatory work, covering 10 volumes in five issues; the reports on the results of operations in each field; and some 230,000 pictures taken by a 30-member official photographer corps.

Basic Preparations

The official report of the Olympic Games is a document which describes in detail the planning, preparations and operation all the way from the effort to win the right to stage the Olympics to the operation of the Games, and the post-Games management. For the host country, the report carries the importance of a historic record and, in that respect, is of monumental value. It also serves as reference data for the host city of the next Games and future hosts. Rule 52 of the Olympic Charter stipulates that the official report, full and complete, compiled in the language of the host country, English and French, should be printed and distributed to the IOC within two years of the close of the Games.

The SLOOC was thus required to submit the full and complete official report to the IOC before October 2, 1990. The Data Department of the SLOOC was responsible for compiling the report. The basic preparation of the compilation proceeded relatively smoothly because the Data Department had the experience of compiling the official report of the 10th Seoul Asian Games which closed on October 5, 1986, and had issued annual collections of records on the preparatory work beginning in 1984. Work on the compilation went into full swing with the signing of an agreement with Korea Textbook Company on the draft compilation of the official report on November 10, 1987. In January 1988, the SLOOC established a plan to improve the quality of the official report, changing the size from 21.5cm x 30cm to tabloid. In March 1988 the Compilation Committee reviewed the draft compilation, and the SLOOC entered into an agreement with Korea Texbook Company on the compilation of the official report. Beginning in September, a compilation team was organized to start the work in earnest with respect to the collection of data, coverage and writing. To seek specialized advice on the compilation of the official report, the Compilation Committee was organized among 11 members representing sports, academic, journalistic and publishing sectors in July 1984. The Compilation Committee also made a significant contribution to the publication of the official report of the Seoul Asian Games.

Compilation Committee Members

Choi Sung-jin, Professor, Sunkyunkwan University
Yun Pyong-kyu, Professor, Dankook University
Lee Ki-wung, Director, Korea Publishers Association
Oh Do-kwang, Managing Editor, Daily Sports
Hyon So-whan, Director, Yonhap News Agency
Lee Jong-taek, Director of Planning Office,
Korea Amateur Sports Association
Kim Han-yong, Representative, Photo Research Office
Park Ki-tae, Representative, Ki-tae Park Design Associates
Cho Song-yol, President, Cubic Design Institute
Lee Jung-han, Editorial Writer, Seoul Shinmun
Lee Sang-chol, Representative, Lee Office

Compilation of Official Report

In November 1987, the SLOOC started work on draft compilation to determine the basic format of the official report. The draft compilation plan followed an analysis of the official reports of past Games in Tokyo, Munich, Montreal, Moscow and Los Angeles. The draft compilation plan, which was finally worked out in February 1988, was supplemented and revised after reviews by each department and office of the SLOOC. The official report's size originally was to have been the same as that for the official report of the Asian Games, 21cm x 29.7cm. Later, however, the size was adjusted to 27cm x 39.3cm tabloid to give a more dignified look similar to that of the Los Angeles Games. The report was to contain 1,550 pages including 850 pages dealing with operations and 700 pages on results. The publication plan called for the printing of 2,000 copies in Korean, 2,000 copies in English and 1,000 copies in French.

With the basic format, contents and specifics of the contents determined, the SLOOC established the official report compilation plan on June 17, 1988 and designated Korea Textbook Company, which published the official report of the Asian Games, as contractor. On August 10, a contract was signed with the book publishing company.

(Source document:  Official Report, vol I., page 809)