'Swimming swept away my diabetes and high blood pressure'

Suncheon National University's Jeong Hyeon-uk earns referee license, donates stipends to swimming federation

"Most people in their 50s and beyond are on medication for diabetes or high blood pressure, but I have none of those conditions. I believe swimming is entirely responsible for that."

Jeong Hyeon-uk, 54, head of the external affairs team at Suncheon National University, is an unabashed swimming advocate who says nothing beats the sport for weight management and staying healthy in middle age.

Jeong has been showing up at a neighborhood pool in Jorye-dong at around 6 a.m. every day for the past 20 years, ever since his wife first nudged him into the water. Before getting in, he loosens up with golf-swing stretches on the pool deck.

Swimming was not his original plan. The impulse to exercise came from a growing awareness that marriage, frequent evening drinking engagements and a busier work life were adding weight and eroding his health.

"When you're working, it's hard to carve out time to exercise, so I started looking for something I could do in the early morning by cutting back on sleep — and swimming seemed like the answer," he said. "My wife was also encouraging me to try it." That is how he found his way into the pool.

Even with more than an hour of exercise each morning, Jeong said he never arrives late to work because he rises earlier than most. He credits the routine with giving his entire day a regular rhythm.

"Before I started exercising, I was dealing with high cholesterol, obesity and fatty liver. Since I took up swimming, my weight has consistently held at 66 kilograms, down from 75," he said. "Swimming is a full-body workout — you're not just moving your arms, you're engaging everything down to your feet — and it puts no strain on your joints."

His commitment to his own health has made him a source of pride for his wife and their two daughters, one in her first year of university and the other in her second year of high school.

Jeong has taken his passion a step further by earning a Level 2 national swimming referee license, allowing him to officiate at competitions on weekends — a role he adds to his duties as a university administrator and dedicated early-morning swimmer.

The story behind his pursuit of the license is equally telling. "While I was active as a member of the swimming federation, I was looking for ways to help out because the federation's finances were tight," he said with a smile. "I figured that getting a referee license and officiating at meets would let me contribute — the officiating stipends I receive at competitions go straight back to the federation to help cover its expenses."

Swimming officiating demands less physical dynamism than refereeing team sports, but it requires sharp observation and a thorough understanding of the rules. "We watch whether swimmers execute their turns and touches correctly, whether they're swimming the right stroke, whether their back is showing when it shouldn't be, and whether their kick matches the event," Jeong said. "There's classroom instruction and hands-on practice involved."

A standard 50-meter, eight-lane pool requires 16 referees — two stationed at each end of every lane.

Jeong is currently busy preparing to officiate at a local meet: the 18th Suncheon Mayor's Swimming Competition, to be held Saturday at the Shindae District Youth Aquatic Center.

Suncheon currently has four swimming facilities — three public pools at Palma Gymnasium, the Culture and Health Center and Shindae Swimming Pool, plus one private facility.

The problem is that demand for the public pools far outstrips supply. Prime-time lane reservations and open-swim slots at the popular facilities sell out almost instantly, drawing crowds that line up before registration opens.

"Compared with neighboring municipalities, the infrastructure here still falls short of the swimming population's needs, and residents have long suffered from chronic overcrowding — it's frustrating to see," Jeong said. "I hope Suncheon can build a 50-meter international-standard pool as soon as possible to meet the public's demand."

He closed with a word of encouragement for middle-aged people hesitating to take the plunge. "I started swimming on my wife's recommendation 20 years ago, and looking back, it was the best decision of my life," he said. "You might feel self-conscious standing at the pool in a swimsuit at first, but once you're in the water and focused on swimming, that feeling melts away. Don't hesitate — just go knock on the door of your local pool one early morning."