Yeongam County Folk Ssireum Team Wins Baekdu Class at 2021 Mungyeong Folk Ssireum King of Kings Championship

Jang Sung-woo Ascends to Baekdu Class Top, 8th Career Victory... Geumgang Class Kim Jin-ho 3rd Place

Jang Sung-woo became Baekdu Champion at the 2021 Minsok Ssireum Mungyeong King of Kings Tournament held at Mungyeong Indoor Gymnasium. ⓒ Asia Economy

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Seo Young-seo] The Jeonnam Yeongam-gun Folk Ssireum Team achieved remarkable results at the 2021 Folk Ssireum Mungyeong King of Kings Tournament held at Mungyeong Indoor Gymnasium in Mungyeong-si, Gyeongbuk, starting from the 15th, with Jang Sung-woo rising to Baekdu Jangsa.

According to the county on the 23rd, Jang Sung-woo defeated Kim Dong-hyun (Yongin City Hall) and Jeong Gyeong-jin (Ulju County Office) 2-0 in the round of 16 and quarterfinals respectively, then overcame Lee Jae-kwang (Yeongwol County Office) 2-0 in the semifinals, and finally edged out Oh Jeong-min (Mungyeong Saejae Ssireum Team) 3-2 in the finals, securing his 8th personal championship (6 times Baekdu Jangsa, 2 times Cheonha Jangsa).

Jang Sung-woo, who advanced to the finals undefeated, easily won the first and second rounds, but lost the third and fourth rounds due to his opponent's jabchae-gi and mil-eochi techniques, extending the match to the fifth and final round. Ultimately, he triumphed over Oh Jeong-min with a mil-eochi following a deulbae-ji gi, demonstrating his enduring prowess.

With this victory, Jang Sung-woo returned to the champion title after 10 months since the 2021 Seollal Jangsa Ssireum Tournament, notably recovering his previous form perfectly despite condition difficulties following injury recovery, brightening his prospects.

Thus, the Yeongam-gun Folk Ssireum Team has achieved a total of 43 championships (38 Jangsa titles, 2 National Sports Festival gold medals, and 3 team championships).

Meanwhile, Kim Jin-ho in the Geumgang weight class placed third for the first time since transferring to the Yeongam-gun Folk Ssireum Team, and Park Byung-hoon, who moved up from the Hallasan to Baekdu weight class, finished fourth.

A county official stated, “Although various competitions have been held without spectators due to COVID-19, so the excitement of the ssireum arena may not be felt, we will continue to devote ourselves to supporting the Yeongam-gun Folk Ssireum Team to realize a strong sports county and strive to provide fun and inspiration to the citizens at every tournament.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.