FENCERS from South Korea

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary South Korean Fencers of all time. This list of famous South Korean Fencers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of South Korean Fencers.

1. Kim Ji-yeon (b. 1988)

With an HPI of 39.31, Kim Ji-yeon is the most famous South Korean Fencer.  Her biography has been translated into 24 different languages on wikipedia.

Kim Ji-yeon (Korean: 김지연; Korean pronunciation: [kim.dʑi.jʌn] or [kim] [tɕi.jʌn]; born 12 March 1988) is a South Korean left-handed sabre fencer. Kim is a five-time team Asian champion and four-time individual Asian champion. A three-time Olympian, Kim is a 2021 team Olympic bronze medalist and 2012 individual Olympic champion. Kim is the first South Korean woman to win an Olympic gold medal in fencing and the second South Korean to win any Olympic medal in fencing after Nam Hyun-hee's silver medal in individual women's foil at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. She is also the second South Korean fencer to win an individual gold medal at the Olympic Games, after Kim Young-ho's gold medal in individual men's foil at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

2. Nam Hyun-hee (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 38.50, Nam Hyun-hee is the 2nd most famous South Korean Fencer.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Nam Hyun-Hee (Korean: 남현희; Hanja: 南賢喜; Korean pronunciation: [nam.ɦjʌn.ɦi] or [nam] [hjʌn.ɦi]; born 29 September 1981) is a South Korean foil fencer. She is left-handed. She won the silver medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics after losing 6-5 to Valentina Vezzali in the final. She was also a team bronze medalist at the 2012 Summer Olympics, with South Korea beating France in the bronze medal match. Her teammates were Jeon Hee-Sok, Jung Gil-Ok and Oh Ha-Na. At the World Championship level, she was twice a world bronze medalist as an individual (2010 and 2011). She was also part of the Korean team that won the team world championship in 2005. Nam was also part of the Korean teams that won the bronze medal in the foil team event at the 2006 World Fencing Championships, after beating Poland in the bronze medal match with her teammates Jeon, Jung and Seo Mi-Jung, 2010 World Championships, beating Germany with teammates Jeon, Seo and Oh, and the 2011 World Championship, beating Poland again, this time with teammates Jeon, Jung and Lee Hye-Sun. She was chosen to give the athlete's oath at the 2014 Asian Games. She was married to cyclist Gong Hyo-suk. Nam ran a fencing club in Seoul's Gangnam district after retiring in 2019. After her divorce, she announced in October 2023 that she had decided to marry Jeon Cheong-jo, the third generation son of the Paradise Group which is a South Korean casino and resort conglomerate. Two weeks later, it was revealed that Jeon was a female fraudster, who was actually from a working class household in South Korea. Jeon had been previously convicted on multiple accounts of fraud and scamming people. Jeon Cheong-jo was arrested and accused of stealing more than 3 billion won (€2.1 million) from 27 people between April 2022 and October 2023. In 2024, Jeon was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Nam was banned from leaving South Korea.

3. Jung Gil-ok (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 36.55, Jung Gil-ok is the 3rd most famous South Korean Fencer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jung Gil-Ok (Korean: 정길옥 ; born 15 September 1980) is a South Korean foil fencer. Jung won the bronze medal in the foil team event at the 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Poland in the bronze medal match. She accomplished this with her teammates Jeon Hee-Sok, Seo Mi-Jung and Nam Hyun-Hee. She also competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, finishing in 24th position. She was part of the South Korean team that won the bronze in the women's team foil at the 2012 London Olympics, beating the French team in the bronze medal match.

4. Jeon Hee-sook (b. 1984)

With an HPI of 33.69, Jeon Hee-sook is the 4th most famous South Korean Fencer.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Jeon Hee-sook (Korean: 전희숙; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʌn.ɦi.suk̚] or [tɕʌn] [hi.suk̚]; born 16 June 1984 in Seoul) is a South Korean foil fencer. Jeon won the bronze medal in the foil team event at the 2006 World Fencing Championships after beating Poland in the bronze medal match. She accomplished this with her team mates Jung Gil-ok, Seo Mi-jung and Nam Hyun-hee. In 2019, she won the gold medal in the women's foil event at the 2019 Asian Fencing Championships held in Chiba, Japan. She also won the silver medal in the women's team foil event.

5. Kim Jun-ho (b. 1994)

With an HPI of 31.53, Kim Jun-ho is the 5th most famous South Korean Fencer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Kim Jun-ho (born 26 May 1994) is a South Korean right-handed sabre fencer, three-time team Asian champion, three-time team world champion, and 2021 team Olympic champion.

6. Choi Byung-chul (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 31.31, Choi Byung-chul is the 6th most famous South Korean Fencer.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Choi Byung-Chul (Korean: 최병철; Hanja: 崔秉哲; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰwe̞.bjʌŋ.tɕʰʌl]; born October 24, 1981) is a South Korean foil fencer. Choi made his first major international appearance by winning gold in the individual foil and bronze in the team foil at the 2001 Junior World Fencing Championships. In 2007, he won the bronze medal in the foil team event at the World Fencing Championships in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Choi qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics for the men's individual foil competition. On August 13, 2008, he had a 15–14 loss to the eventual silver medalist Yuki Ota of Japan in the round of 16. Choi then participated in the 2012 London Olympics and on July 31, 2012, he lost to Alaaeldin Abouelkassem in the semi-final, but beat Andrea Baldini in the bronze medal match to finally capture the bronze medal.

7. Shin A-lam (b. 1986)

With an HPI of 30.51, Shin A-lam is the 7th most famous South Korean Fencer.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Shin A-lam (Korean: 신아람, Korean pronunciation: [ɕi.na.ɾam] or [ɕin] [a.ɾam]; born 23 September 1986) is a South Korean épée fencer.

8. Won Woo-young (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 29.48, Won Woo-young is the 8th most famous South Korean Fencer.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Won Woo-young (Korean: 원우영; Korean pronunciation: [wʌn.u.jʌŋ]; born 3 February 1982) is a South Korean sabre fencer. He won gold at the Olympics, World Championships, Asian Games and Asian Championships and is the first Asian fencer to win gold in the men's individual sabre event at the World Championships. After retiring, he became a sports commentator for Seoul Broadcasting System and covered fencing events at various international tournaments. In November 2021, he was appointed coach of the men's sabre team.

9. Choi In-jeong (b. 1990)

With an HPI of 28.90, Choi In-jeong is the 9th most famous South Korean Fencer.  Her biography has been translated into 22 different languages.

Choi In-Jeong (Korean: 최인정; Korean pronunciation: [tɕʰwe̞.in.dʑʌn]; born 21 May 1990) is a South Korean right-handed épée fencer, three-time team Asian champion, two-time individual Asian champion, three-time Olympian, and two-time team Olympic silver medalist. Choi competed in the 2012 London Olympic Games, the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games, and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Choi began fencing in junior high and made her international debut in 2011, at the World Cup event in Nanjing.

10. Gu Bon-gil (b. 1989)

With an HPI of 28.65, Gu Bon-gil is the 10th most famous South Korean Fencer.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Gu Bon-gil (Korean: 구본길, Korean pronunciation: [ku.bon.ɡil] or [ku] [pon.ɡil]; born 27 April 1989) is a South Korean right-handed sabre fencer. Gu is an eight-time team Asian champion, seven-time individual Asian champion, and three-time team world champion. A three-time Olympian, Gu is a three-time team Olympic champion.