TABLE TENNIS PLAYERS from South Korea

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary South Korean Table Tennis Players of all time. This list of famous South Korean Table Tennis Players 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 Table Tennis Players.

1. Yoo Nam-kyu (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 41.47, Yoo Nam-kyu is the most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 22 different languages on wikipedia.

Yoo Nam-kyu (born June 4, 1968) is a former table tennis player from South Korea who competed in the 1988, the 1992 and in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

2. Joo Sae-hyuk (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 40.44, Joo Sae-hyuk is the 2nd most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Joo Sae-hyuk (Korean: 주세혁, Korean pronunciation: [tɕu.se̞.ɦjʌk̚]; born 20 January 1980) is a South Korean table tennis player. As a singles player, he was a silver medalist at the 2003 World Table Tennis Championships, a bronze medalist at the 2011 Table Tennis World Cup, and a bronze medalist at the 2010 and 2014 Asian Games. In the team event, as a member of the South Korean National Team, he was a silver medalist in the 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014 Asian Games; the 2006 and 2008 World Championships; and the 2012 Summer Olympics.

3. Ryu Seung-min (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 40.02, Ryu Seung-min is the 3rd most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 24 different languages.

Ryu Seung-min (Korean: 유승민; Korean pronunciation: [ju.sɯŋ.min]; born August 5, 1982) is a South Korean table tennis player who won the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in the men's singles competition. His opponent was Wang Hao, a top-seeded player from the Chinese national team. Along the way, he defeated 1992 Olympic champion Jan-Ove Waldner with 4–1. At the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics he was part of the South Korean team that won the bronze and silver medals respectively. Ryu is ranked twenty-fifth in the world as of July 2013. In 2016, Ryu became a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), he was a member and Chair of the Athletes' Commission of the South Korean National Olympic Committee from 2016 to 2019. Since 2018, he counts among the ITTF Foundation Ambassadors, promoting sport for development and peace. In March 2022, Ryu signed with World Star Entertainment.

4. Kim Taek-soo (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 39.93, Kim Taek-soo is the 4th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Kim Taek-Soo (Korean: 김택수; Hanja: 金擇洙, born May 25, 1970) is a former table tennis player from South Korea. He used a one-sided penhold style, compared to the newer style of reverse-backhand looping that has become the Chinese penhold standard. In 2010, it was announced that Taek-Soo would succeed Yoo Nam-Kyu as head coach of South Korea's national table tennis team, with the date of the change unknown. He married archer Kim Jo-sun in 2000.

5. Hyun Jung-hwa (b. 1969)

With an HPI of 37.66, Hyun Jung-hwa is the 5th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Hyun Jung-hwa (Korean: 현정화; Hanja: 玄静和; RR: Hyeon Jeong-hwa; born October 6, 1969, in Busan, South Korea) is a retired table tennis player from South Korea who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics, and in the 1992 Summer Olympics.

6. Ahn Jae-hyung (b. 1965)

With an HPI of 36.87, Ahn Jae-hyung is the 6th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Ahn Jae-hyung (Korean: 안재형; Hanja: 安宰亨; born January 8, 1965) is a male former table tennis player from South Korea who competed in the 1988 Summer Olympics. Since 2017 he has been the head coach of South Korea's women's national team. He married Chinese table tennis player Jiao Zhimin in 1989. The couple's son, golfer An Byeong-hun, became the youngest champion in United States Amateur Championship history, winning the 2009 event at the age of 17.

7. Oh Sang-eun (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 36.50, Oh Sang-eun is the 7th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Oh Sang-eun (Korean: 오상은; Hanja: 吳尚垠; Korean pronunciation: [o.saŋ.ɯn]; born April 13, 1977, in Daegu, South Korea) is a South Korean table tennis player. His world ranking had been in the top 10 since the 2005 World Championships in Shanghai until April 2008. His highest ranking was number 5 in May 2007.

8. Yang Young-ja (b. 1964)

With an HPI of 34.59, Yang Young-ja is the 8th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Yang Young-Ja (Korean: 양영자; Hanja: 梁英子; RR: Yang Yeong-ja; born July 6, 1964) is a retired female table tennis player from South Korea.

9. Kim Kyung-ah (b. 1977)

With an HPI of 34.30, Kim Kyung-ah is the 9th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Kim Kyungah (Korean pronunciation: [kim.ɡjʌŋ.a]; born May 25, 1977, in Daejeon, South Korea) is a South Korean table tennis player. She was the bronze medalist in women's singles at 2004 Athens Olympics. She was 6th in the ITTF world ranking as of March 2013. In May 2011, Kim Kyungah qualified for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She was eliminated in the quarter-finals as a single player. Her team made it to the bronze medal match, but was defeated by the Singaporean team.

10. Park Mi-young (b. 1981)

With an HPI of 32.75, Park Mi-young is the 10th most famous South Korean Table Tennis Player.  Her biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Park Mi-Young (Korean pronunciation: [pak̚ mi.jʌŋ] or [paŋ.mi.jʌŋ]; born November 17, 1981, in Daegu, Republic of Korea) is a South Korean table tennis player. She was part of the table tennis team that won a bronze medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics. Park currently plays for the Samsung Life Insurance Table Tennis team and is ranked 24th in the world as of October 2011. She qualified directly for the 2012 Summer Olympics in May 2011. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, she reached the last 16 in the women's individual, and placed fourth with the South Korean women's team.