Korean Duo Seo Seung-jae & Kim Won-ho Secure Gold at 2025 Korea Open, Driven by Focus on Men’s Doubles
SUWON, SOUTH KOREA – Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho claimed the gold medal in men’s doubles at the 2025 Korea Open, held at the Suwon Gymnasium on the 28th. The victory underscores a highly successful year for the pair, and a strategic shift in focus for both players, according to national team director Park Joo-bong. (Photo Source │ Korean Badminton Association Instagram)
The duo has dominated the international circuit this year,securing 8 gold,2 silver,and 1 bronze medal across 13 competitions. Their success follows a period of competing in both men’s and mixed doubles, where both players previously achieved significant results.Seo Seung-jae won both men’s and mixed doubles titles at the 2023 World Championships (with Kang Min-hyuk and Chae Yu-jeong respectively), while Kim Won-ho took mixed doubles gold at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games (with Choi Sol-kyu) and the 2024 Paris Olympics (with Jung Na-eun).
However,following disappointing results in both men’s and mixed doubles at the Paris Olympics – Seo seung-jae reaching the quarterfinals in men’s doubles and finishing fourth in mixed – both players expressed a desire to concentrate solely on men’s doubles. This prompted a reorganization within the national team.
“There was a lot of trouble reorganizing the doubles pairings earlier this year,” a team official stated, adding that “saving Seung-jae’s partner at the time” was a top priority.
Park Joo-bong, appointed director in April, paired Seo Seung-jae with Kim Won-ho, a partnership that has proven remarkably effective. The duo rose to the world No. 1 ranking on july 22nd and has maintained that position.
Park attributes their success to the reduced pressure of specializing in one discipline. “I believed that the right-handed net play and the left-handed rear-court shooting could be synergistic,” he explained. He further noted the differing demands of each format: “Mixed doubles requires a male player to lead the rally and tactics. On the other hand,men’s doubles will be more comfortable because they only have to play in the vanguard and backwards.”
While acknowledging the challenge of finding new partners for Chae Yu-jeong and Jung Na-eun in mixed doubles, Park expressed confidence in the pairing of Chae Yu-jeong with Lee Jong-min.
The victory at the Korea open solidifies Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho’s position as a leading force in men’s doubles badminton, and highlights the impact of a strategic decision to prioritize focused training and competition.
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