South Korean President Lee Myung-bak pledged greater government support for disabled athletes on Tuesday.
"I was very touched by your performance at the Beijing Paralympics. I'm particularly proud of you all because you have accomplished a lot in spite of adversity," Lee said at a luncheon host by him for about 210 athletes and officials participating in the Beijing Paralympics.
"Please work harder to accomplish a far greater outcome at the next Paralympics. The government will also show greater attention to Paralympic athletes," said Lee.
Lee highly commended Park Gun-woo, a South Korean boccia player who won two gold medals in Beijing, saying that "Your power of concentration was remarkable. Actually, I was ashamed to have never heard of boccia until you won two gold medals at the Beijing Paralympics. I think it's lucky to learn of a good sporting event."
South Korean delegation ranked 13th in the medal tally of the Beijing Paralympics from Sept. 6-17, winning 10 gold, eight silver and 13 bronze medals.
(Xinhua News Agency September 23, 2008)