American mogul skier Toby Dawson is currently in Korea to film a documentary promoting the city of Pyeongchang’s bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics.
Dawson was born in Busan, Korea as Kim Soo-cheol, but at the age of three he was separated from his family in a busy marketplace. Mistakenly thought to be abandoned, he was placed for adoption with a couple from Colorado in the United States. After winning a bronze medal in the 2006 Winter Olympics, Dawson was able to visit Korea and find his birth family. He has since been appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Korea by the Korea Tourism Organization.
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Pyeongchang's Bid Committee appoints Dawson goodwill ambassador at the Korea Press Center in Seoul.(Photo:Yonhap News) |
Dawson is in Korea making a documentary film to promote Korea’s Olympic Winter Games candidate city, Pyeongchang. The documentary is sponsored by the Korean Culture and Information Service, the Presidential Council on Nation Branding, the Korea Tourism Organization and Korean Air. The film is being headed by Jalbert Productions International and will be broadcast in the United States and Europe.
The film will primarily focus on Dawson’s life, and has a working title of “Home in the Mountains: Toby Dawson.” It will be filmed in Seoul, Pyeongchang and Busan, and will help to promote Pyeongchang as a candidate to host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
The documentary begins by focusing on Dawson’s childhood, including his adoption and how he began skiing at the age of four. The film then concentrates on the role skiing has played in his life and his triumph at the Olympics, before moving on to his reunion with his birth father and brother.
The film features extensive interviews with Dawson, covering everything from his passion for skiing to his support for Pyeongchang’s third Olympic bid.
The documentary also features an interview with Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choung Byoung-gug conducted by Dawson. Minister Choung begins by giving a brief history of winter sports in Korea before explaining how Korea hosting the Winter Olympics in 2018 will help promote Korea worldwide and strengthen Korea’s national image. The minister said he was proud of Dawson that he represents Korea’s past and present.
| Taking photos after an interview with Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choung Byoung-gug and Seo Kang-soo, Director of Korean Culture and Information Service. |
This documentary will air from April 1 on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and other American TV stations.
By Jun Kyung Oh
Korea.net Staff Writer
