Park Tae-hwan Gifted Parents Apartment in Jamsil During High School

‘Marine Boy’ Park Tae-hwan revealed a touching story of his filial piety. In a preview for KBS's 'New Launch! Restaurant', Park Tae-hwan shared that he bought his parents an apartment in Jamsil when he was a third-year high school student in 2007.

He expressed his satisfaction, saying, 'When I visit my parents' home, I think I made the right decision buying it back then. The house for my parents is something I provided,' highlighting his pride in the accomplishment.

During his prime as a world-renowned swimmer, Park Tae-hwan appeared in numerous commercials. He humorously remarked, 'I don't know how many I filmed. There were some offers I refused back then, and I regret why I turned them down,' eliciting laughter.

The apartment building Park Tae-hwan referred to is the Asia Olympic Village Apartments in Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, which was once renowned as one of the top three apartment complexes. The complex was used as accommodation for the national team during the 1986 Seoul Asian Games and is currently recognized as a prime beneficiary of the Jamsil MICE complex development project.

Notably, Park Tae-hwan also garnered attention in 2012 for distributing rice cakes to his neighbors after winning a silver medal at the London Olympics, expressing his gratitude.

Park Tae-hwan is a legendary South Korean swimmer, celebrated for his Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and his four Olympic medals in total. He achieved a double gold in the 400m and 200m freestyle at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. Since retiring from competitive swimming, he has been active in broadcasting and mentoring aspiring young swimmers.