Korea Exchange Holds Table Tennis Team Inauguration Ceremony... Emblem and Uniform Unveiled

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] The Korea Exchange held the founding ceremony of its table tennis team at Signiel Busan, publicly introducing the inaugural coach Yoon Nam-gyu and the players, as well as unveiling the emblem and uniforms, the exchange announced on the 23rd.

The founding ceremony of the Korea Exchange table tennis team, the first Busan-based sports team established by an institution relocated to Busan, was attended by over 200 key figures including the Deputy Mayor of Busan, local members of the National Assembly, civic groups, and veteran table tennis players.

The Korea Exchange table tennis team is the eighth men's team in the Korea Professional Table Tennis League, composed of coach Yoon Nam-gyu, coach Yoon Sang-jun, trainer Hong Seok-pyo, and players Ahn Jae-hyun (23 years old, right-handed shakehand), Hwang Min-ha (23 years old, left-handed shakehand), Seo Jung-won (27 years old, right-handed penhold), and Gil Min-seok (17 years old, right-handed shakehand).

Among the players, Ahn Jae-hyun has shown strong performances on big stages and is considered a strong medal contender for the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and the 2024 Paris Olympics. Hwang Min-ha rejoined the national team this year and joined the Korea Exchange table tennis team to reclaim the past glory of being the 'youngest national representative.' Seo Jung-won led Yeongdo District Office to victory in the corporate table tennis tournament, and Gil Min-seok is a promising player who won the gold medal in the team event at this year's National Sports Festival.

Deputy Mayor of Busan Lee Byung-jin said in his congratulatory speech, "The founding of the Korea Exchange professional table tennis team will provide many table tennis fans in Busan with opportunities to watch high-level matches and will greatly contribute to nurturing local talent and promoting community sports activities." He added, "It will also play a significant role in the successful hosting of the 2024 Busan World Table Tennis Championships and the bid for the 2030 Busan World EXPO."

Sohn Byung-doo, Chairman of the Korea Exchange, stated, "We will prepare diligently to achieve good results at the 2024 World Table Tennis Championships held in Busan, and at the Paris Olympics held the same year, we aim for gold medals, recreating the joy and excitement shown by coach Yoon Nam-gyu at the 1988 Olympics." He continued, "We will create an exciting professional table tennis league with high-level competition and foster an environment where the table tennis community can grow together through fair competition and continuous investment."

In a media interview that day, inaugural coach Yoon Nam-gyu expressed, "I will strive to bring a new breeze to the table tennis world in my hometown Busan and give back the love I received during my playing days to the Busan community." He added, "United with elite and recreational table tennis players, we will work hard to ensure that Korea Exchange table tennis team players win medals at the 2024 Busan World Table Tennis Championships and the Paris Olympics."

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