In the annals of Korean sports policies, the Third Republic of Korea is an epochal period for the modern sport. The 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics and the 2002 FIFA World Cup helped raise Korea s profile in the international sporting community. And it was largely thanks to human and material sport infrastructure established during the Third Republic that Korea was able to host those major events. It behooves us, then, that we trace the roots of Korean sports policies, the role of sports, and what the national sports policies focused on during this period. While there have been several studies on the history of sports policies during the Third Republic, their quality has left much to be desired. In particular, in-depth analysis on how sports policies were set up and carried out within the framework of the Park Chung-hee administration and his authoritarian rule has been extremely scarce. And discussions that do exist on this issue are quite insufficient. Reports on the sports policy in the Third Republic have either been one-dimensional or have been a generic part of a broader study on sports policies in different eras. In addition, studies on physical education policies have been confined to phys-ed classes at school, to inter-Korean sporting exchanges and to activities in individual sports. Studies on the sports policies that the Third Republic pursued must take into account both domestic and international factors. Sports have been the source of national pride and have been an effective tool in galvanizing the people. In investigating the history of sports policies in a modern nation, we have to consider three approaches: sports functions in domestic and international settings; sports policies characteristics and direction; and the role of individuals in charge of sports policies. The Third Republic under President Park s leadership attempted to realize its governmental and strategical goals--raising the national profile and image and proving the superiority of the current system--through elitist sports policies. In this process, the government succeeded, at least partially, in expanding sports infrastructure and in applying science to sports, all of which led to Korea s triumphs at international competitions. The Third Republic also laid foundation for development of sports at school and at work. On the other hand, the Third Republic s sports policies may be held responsible for giving way to the politically-dependent sport. During this regime, policies designed to improve physical conditions of the people were considered the duty of the state, and getting into better shape an act of patriotism on the people s part. As a result, the people equated themselves with athletes representing the nation at global competitions, and grew obsessed with improving their physical conditioning, and with the idea that better physical shape and better performance at international events meant patriotism. The sports system, established along with the sports policies in the Third Republic, was mainly focused on promoting the national image amid the Cold War and the sense of unity and camaraderie among the people. This became the basis of the nation-led elitist sport and contributed to the positive traditions--improving the national profile and confirming the national strength. And the role of leading these efforts fell to Min Gwan-sik, the chairman of the Korea Sports Council who would later serve as the Minister of Education. With the full blessing of President Park, Min was successful in setting up human and material bases for sports infrastructure despite unfavorable circumstances. As such, discussions on sports polices during the Third Republic must take into account internal and external factors, policies nature and directions and roles of ind