North & South Korea to Join Forces at ITTF Korea Open

The North & South Korean table tennis teams will be joining forces to form unified doubles pairs to compete at the upcoming Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour Platinum Shinhan Korea Open to be held from 19-22 July 2018 in Daejeon (KOR).

The news comes after the North Korean team confirmed its participation at the Korea Open under the support of the ITTF Foundation as part of its Ping Pong Diplomacy programme to promote solidarity through table tennis.

 
ITTF President Thomas WEIKERT stated “The ITTF is proud to support the reunification of the North and South Korean table tennis teams again at the Korean Open after the historic unification of the teams at the World Championships in Halmstad. Table tennis has had a long history as a driver of peace and we are happy to open a new chapter of table tennis diplomacy to promote peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

This further emphasizes that the historical move that began in Halmstad was not a one-off event but the start of a long-term project to use Table Tennis as a vehicle for peace.

 
The North & South Korean teams will form four strong mixed associations pairs. LEE Sangsu & PAK Sin Hyok will compete as one Korean team in Men’s Doubles while KIM Song I & SUH Hyowon join forces in the Women’s Doubles. Meanwhile JANG Woojin & CHA Hyo Sim and CHOE Il & YOO Eunchong will feature in the Mixed Doubles event.

The ITTF through its Foundation will look to continue this positive unified doubles pairs initiative in the upcoming ITTF World Tour events leading up to the ITTF World Tour Grand Finals.

 
The Shinhan Korea Open is the fourth Platinum event of the Seamaster 2018 ITTF World Tour with qualifications starting on 17 July 2018 and main draw action beginning on the 19th.

 
Quick Links:

Related News

Shocks and Strong Starts: Drama Unfolds in Girls’ Team Events

In the Under 19 Girls’ Team Event, top seeds France faced no difficulties. In the opening round of the tournament, the reigning champions overcame Slovakia in straight matches. Nia GUO...

Read more

MANTZ Begins Coaching Journey with Belgium at the 2025 European Youth Championships

The 2017 European Under 21 champion and member of Germany’s gold-winning team at the 2021 European Championships, Chantal MANTZ, has taken on a new role at the 2025 European Youth...

Read more

2025 EYC: No Favorites Are Safe in Ostrava

Already on the opening day of the 2025 European Youth Championships in Ostrava, fierce battles and surprising upsets marked the Team Events. In the Under 19 Junior Event, Czechia, backed...

Read more

The 67th EYC in Ostrava Commences: KODET Aiming for Third Consecutive Gold on Home Soil

The 67th European Youth Championships officially began today in Ostrava, Czech Republic. The competition opened with the team events, and fans can follow all the action on ETTU TV and...

Read more

Contact

About Us

Privacy Policy

Terms and Conditions

The European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) is the governing body of the sport of table tennis in Europe, and is the only authority recognized for this purpose by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ETTU deals with all matters relating to table tennis at a European level, including the development and promotion of the sport in the territories controlled by its 58 member associations, and the organization of continental table tennis competitions, including the European Championships.

Powered By

All Competitions

Senior Competitions

Club Competitions

Youth Competitions

More Competitions