Martin Hyun

Martin Jong-bum Hyun (born 4 May 1979) is a German writer and retired professional ice hockey player who played in Germany's Deutsche Eishockey Liga. He was appointed technical coordinator and manager for the 2018 Winter Olympics by the PyeongChang Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (POCOG) in the field of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey.

Playing career Amateur The son of Korean immigrants in Germany, Hyun began playing ice hockey at the age of 5, progressing his way through local youth leagues and into the Krefeld Pinguine's youth development system. He became a regular player for the German Junior National Team. In 1997 he was summoned by Coach Miroslav Berek and General Manager Rüdiger Noack to begin the season with the Elite league team at the age of 17, where he scored two goals in five preseason games playing alongside former NHL player Peter Ihnačák (Toronto Maple Leafs). Hyun played most of the season with the second-league development team Eurohockey.com - all about European ice hockey. In 1998 Hyun decided to go to the United States to further his education and pursue his hockey career at the same time. He first studied at Benilde-St. Margaret's High School, a Catholic school in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, later transferring to Northwood Prep School in Lake Placid, New York. The author explores issues central to the Asian German experience: the encounter of diverse cultures; the challenges of racism, discrimination, and exclusion. The author above all raises the question of becoming and being German with "slanted" eyes. His views on minorities and social integration led to him working at the radio station Deutschlandradio Kultur.

Activism In 2007 Hyun was selected among thirty young leaders with a foreign background to participate in the Bertelsmann-Foundation Leadership-Program in order to promote social integration of minorities in Germany. As a professional ice hockey player Hyun initiated a mentoring-project for children from low income families and helped children with cancer. On 10 October 2008 Hyun received a second invitation from German President Horst Köhler to talk about the demographic change and increasing diversity in Germany. In 2008 Hyun was appointed Goodwill Ambassador for the European Year of the intercultural dialogue, sponsored by the European Commission and European Parliament. In 2010 Hyun founded "Hockey is Diversity " an initiative to promote diversity outside the boundaries of sports.

Winter Olympics 2018

In January 2015 Hyun with the recommendation of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was appointed by the PyeongChang Organizing Committee of the Winter Olympics 2018 (POCOG) as their new technical coordinator for their men's and women's ice hockey and ice sledge hockey games. Hyun was selected as Olympic torch runner for his contributions to the development of Korean-German relations.

Awards 1997: World U-17 Hockey Championships, Moncton, Canada 2002: ECAC Division II Northeast Champion, USA 2014: Integration Award for outstanding contributions in the field of social integration, awarded by SYNKO Synergie Köln e. V.(5 February 2014)