A Kenyan-born marathoner who acquired Korean citizenship recently has legally changed his name to Oh Joo-han, from Wilson Loyanae Erupe.
Korean family names are associated with clans that are traced back hundreds of years, and also the regions where they originated.
Because they are not descendents of any clan, naturalized Koreans often choose a family name and its place of origin under a court’s approval when taking Korean names.
Oh has trained with Cheongyang County Office’s athletics council since July 2015. He picked the county in South Chungcheong Province as place of origin for his family name. This means the 30-year-old athlete will become the founder of a possible Oh clan.
“I am proud and happy for having a Korean name,” Oh said in an email interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday, after getting approval from a district court for his new name.
He also said it “feels great be the progenitor of the soon-to-be Oh clan in Cheongyang,” adding, “I thank the Cheongyang people for accepting me.”
His Korean name means “I run only for Korea.”
He acquired Korean citizenship in July, “in recognition of his outstanding talent.”
This fueled controversy that he could be the turning point for Korean marathon races after a decade-long slump but also accelerates Korea’s attempts to “import” talented marathoners instead of nurturing Korean hopefuls.
He won the Gyeongju International Marathon in 2011, 2012 and 2015 and the Seoul International Marathon in 2012, 2015, 2016 and 2018. His best time in a Korean event is 2:05:13 in Seoul in 2016.
He first sought to acquire Korean citizenship in 2013. But the plan was delayed after the International Association of Athletics Federations banned him from international events for two years for failing an out-of-competition doping test in 2012.
Oh said being a Korean athlete helps him mentally, especially in his plan to prepare for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. He plans to finish in the top three at the quadrennial sporting event.
“I feel sorry that the Korean marathon has been undergoing a slump,” he said. “I will help other Korean marathoners to get good records.”