Skip Navigation

Heritage Search

National Registered Cultural Heritage

Eom Bok-dong’s Bicycle

엄복동 자전거 ( 嚴福童 自轉車 )

Heritage Search Detail
Classification National Registered Cultural Heritage
Name of Cultural Properties Eom Bok-dong’s Bicycle
Quantity 1 Item
Designated Date 2010.08.24
Age
Address Seoul Gangdong-gu

Eom Bok-dong (1892-1951) was a famous cyclist during the Japanese Occupation (1910-1945). He won the National Cycling Championship in 1910, and continued doing well until his retirement in 1929. During the dark period of Japanese colonial rule, he instilled a sense of pride in the hearts of Koreans and was regarded as a national hero. His bike is thought to have been made sometime between 1910 and 1914 by the bike manufacturer Rudge-Whitworth of the United Kingdom. The seven-digit figure (1065274) in the emblem indicates that it was specially made for a professional athlete. Later, Eom gave it to a young cyclist. It is the oldest existing bike in the country.