[위키트리 광주전남취재본부 노해섭 기자]Kim Jae -hyun (24), a badminton national team from Gangjin -gun, has achieved valuable results on the overseas stage, raising the pride of the local sports. Kim Jae -hyun, the son of Kim Kang -seok, vice chairman of the Gangjin Badminton Association, graduated from Guilin -cho and the former Ambassador Daebu High School.
From June 17th to 21st, he won the second crown of men’s doubles and mixed doubles at the 2025 Northern Mariana International Series Badminton Championships held in Saipan.
Kim Jae-hyun hit the Akirago of Japan in the men’s doubles category and defeated the Akirago of Japan-Naya Kawashima Joe 2-0 (21-16, 21-15). In the following mixed doubles finals, he paired with Kim Min-ji to win 2-1 (21-13, 16-21, 21-18) after a close-up against Japan’s Akirago-Yuho Imai Joe.
In particular, the mixed doubles finals shine in the last set of set score 1-1. Kim Min -ji’s sharp drop shots and Kim Jae -hyun’s strong smash broke out in succession, and in the second half, he ended the game by inducing his opponent’s mistakes with a persistent standing in defense.
The competition is a certified competition hosted by the World Badminton Federation (BWF), and the winner will receive 2,500 world ranking points. Kim Jae -hyun became the top of men’s and mixed doubles, earning a total of 5,000 world ranking points, further solidifying his position on the international stage. The world ranking point is a key criterion for determining the international rankings of players, and this win is expected to be an important step in participating in the top competition and selecting the national team. Kim Jae -hyun has set up a foothold for a bigger stage as well as an increase in international rankings with this championship.
Gangjin -gun plans to evaluate Kim Jae -hyun’s achievements as a result of local sports development policies, and will continue to expand support for life and elite sports, including badminton.
Kang Jin -won, Kang Jin -gun, said, “It is a pride of all citizens that local players have achieved on the world stage.”
