▲ South Korean delegation members, including table tennis star Shin Yu-bin and badminton player Seo Seung-jae bound for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, move together after completing their departure event at Terminal 2 of Incheon International Airport in Yeongjongdo, Incheon, on the 17th.
South Korean table tennis icon Shin Yu-bin and rower Kim Dong-yong have been selected as the flag bearers for the opening ceremony of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee announced that the two athletes will serve as flag bearers leading the South Korean delegation at the opening ceremony held at Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on the 19th.
Shin Yu-bin, a leading figure in South Korean table tennis, aims for four medals by competing in the women's singles, doubles, team event, and mixed doubles at this tournament, and is considered a strong gold medal candidate especially in mixed doubles paired with Lim Jong-hoon.
At the previous Hangzhou Asian Games, she captured four medals, including gold in women's doubles and bronze in women's singles, mixed doubles, and the women's team event.
She also claimed bronze medals in the women's team event and mixed doubles at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Kim Dong-yong is a veteran who has worn the national Taegeuk mark for 17 years. He will compete in the double sculls and quadruple sculls at this event, and is particularly eyed as a medal contender in the quadruple sculls.
The flag bearer for the opening ceremony of an international multi-sport event serves as the face of the South Korean delegation.
Especially for the Asian Games, which dispatches a large delegation of hundreds of athletes, individuals with top-tier skills and exemplary conduct are put forward as flag bearers.
At the previous Hangzhou Games, fencer Gu Bon-gil and swimmer Kim Seo-young carried the Taegeuki.
At the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, when inter-Korean relations were favorable, Lim Yong-hee, competing as a member of the inter-Korean women's basketball unified team, led the joint inter-Korean entry carrying the Korean Unification Flag alongside North Korean football player Ju Kyong-chol.
At the 2014 Incheon Games, wrestling star Kim Hyeon-woo served as flag bearer, followed by men's handball legend Yoon Kyung-shin at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
At the 2006 Doha Games featuring a joint inter-Korean march, South Korea's Lee Kyu-sup (men's basketball) and North Korea's Ri Kum-suk (women's football) carried the Korean Unification Flag together, as did South Korea's Hwangbo Sung-il (men's handball) and North Korea's Ri Jong-hee (women's football) at the 2002 Busan Games.
The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee also announced the captains of the South Korean delegation.
Veteran male archer Kim Woo-jin and shooting athlete Lee Bo-na will serve as the male and female captains.
Born in 1992, Kim Woo-jin is recognized as a world-class athlete, collecting a total of 18 gold medals across the Olympics (5), World Championships (10), and Asian Games (3).
Born in 1981, shotgun shooter Lee Bo-na is the oldest female athlete in the South Korean delegation.
Having won a silver and a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Lee Bo-na claimed gold in the double trap team event at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.
The main contingent of the South Korean delegation arrives in Nagoya, the battleground, today (the 17th) via Chubu Centrair International Airport.
Shin Yu-bin and badminton player Seo Seung-jae served as departure flag bearers.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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