If Captain Seo Hyo-won, the eldest sister, helps the youngest coaches of the 女 table tennis team increase their skills by at least 1%

Jun 29, 2025

photo courtesy of the Korea Table Tennis Association

'Women's national team captain'Seo Hyo-won (Korea Racing Authority) will join as the youngest coach of the women's table tennis team.

On the 27th, the Korea Table Tennis Association announced the appointment of general manager Choi Young-il and men's and women's coaches Hwang Sung-hoon and Seo Hyo-won. The appointment of the new coaching staff of the national team was finalized through the board of directors of the Korea Table Tennis Association on June 24 after public recruitment, documents, and interview screening procedures through the website. Coach Hwang Sung-hoon, who was with coach Joo Se-hyuk at the men's team at the Busan World Table Tennis Championships and the Paris Olympics last year, will also re-enter the Jincheon National Training Center as general manager and men's team coach, respectively.

The association appointed additional national team leaders because the size of the national team expanded due to the increase in international competitions and the selection of representatives for the association's own management. It aims to improve performance and strengthen the management and supervision system by hiring additional professional leaders. Oh Sang-eun's coaches Hwang Sung-hoon and Seo Hyo-won added strength to the men's national team coach, Yoon Jae-young, Seok Eun-mi's women's national team coach, and Choi Hyun-jin's coach system.

Seo Hyo-won's appointment as a national coach, who announced his retirement from the Doha World Championship last month and the professional league stage earlier this month, attracts the most attention. Seo Hyo-won, who officially retires with the end of his team's contract at the end of June, will start a new challenge as a coach for the women's national team without a break. The eldest sister 'Captain', who has been running tirelessly for 12 years since 2013, will return to Jincheon as the youngest coach. At the Hangzhou Asian Games, he led the original team with quiet charisma and warm sister leadership on the Doha World Championship stage, achieving the best performance ever. Until recently, he has been active in China, the Japanese league, and the international arena, and his experience of bumping into world-class players with his body, he has practical skills and excellent analysis skills, and he can communicate with young juniors such as Shin Yu-bin and Kim Na-young. Lee Da-eun (Korean Horse Association), who recently beat Lee Seung-eun (Korean Air) in the professional league, once said, "Training and advice with Hyo-won in the run-up to the final was very helpful in winning the championship." Expectations are also high for the team's "chemistry" with coach Seok Eun-mi and coach Choi Hyun-jin, who are leading the women's team's advancement with warm leadership.

General manager Choi Young-il, men's national team coach Hwang Sung-hoon, women's team coach Seo Hyo-won, photo courtesy of the Korea Table Tennis Association

Teacher and mentor Hyun Jung-hwa, the coach of the Korea Racing Authority, did not hide her expectations for her performance as a leader of Seo Hyo-won, a junior and lover who continues the spirit of the Korean women's national team. As the captain of the women's national team, he led his juniors by example, quiet charisma, and found his qualifications as a leader in a warm and broad mind, and recommended the leader to his daughter-in-law. The current coach said, `I hope Hyo-won will play a role for her juniors and Korean women's table tennis even after her retirement. I will continue to support my life as a leader in the same way." The new coach Seo Hyo-won said, `Time to give back what I received through table tennis for the rest of my life,' adding, `I'm thinking about how to do it better as the youngest coach of the national team. I want to be a helpful leader, serving as a bridge between the coach and the players, so that I can be even 1% better than the players have" conveyed a firm determination.

Choi Young-il, who oversees the men's and women's national teams, is a veteran virtue with a rich coaching experience and served as coach of the women's national team at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, the 2001 Beijing Universiade, and the 2003 and 2004 World Championships. He has been working as a manager and general manager of the Samsung Life Women's Team from 2002 to 2018, and as a manager of the men's team of the Korea Racing Authority since 2019.

Hwang Sung-hoon, coach of the men's national team, played as a player in Samsung Life Insurance and the Armed Forces Sports Unit, and served as a leader of the Samsung Life Insurance and youth team before serving as a full-time coach for the men's national team from 2022-2024. He has also led Shin Yoo-bin's growth as a personal coach. The trust of players and leaders is high with a calm style of coaching that reads the minds of players. While serving as the national coach, he led good performances, including consecutive doubles finals at the World Championship and team semifinals.

The three leaders will begin their official terms in July. National teams with busy schedules for international competitions, including the WTT series, will begin strengthening training at Jincheon National Training Center from August 11.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.