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Kim Kum Yong

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In this Korean name, the family name is Kim.

Kim Kum Yong
Kim in 2024
Personal information
Born (2001-08-17) 17 August 2001 (age 24)
Pyongyang, North Korea
Sport
SportTable tennis
Playing styleLeft-handed, shakehand grip
Highest ranking45 (1 June 2025)
Current ranking45 (15 July 2025)
Medal record
Women's table tennis
Representing  North Korea
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 2024 Paris Mixed doubles
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Astana Singles
Silver medal – second place 2024 Astana Mixed doubles
Asian Junior and Cadet Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Ulaanbaatar Girls' teams
Korean name
Hangul
김금영
RRGim Geumyeong
MRKim Kŭmyŏng

Kim Kum Yong (Korean: 김금영; born 17 August 2001) is a North Korean table tennis player. She qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and won a silver medal in the mixed doubles tournament alongside Ri Jong Sik.[1] She is ranked 45th in the world by the International Table Tennis Federation (as of 15 July 2025),[2] and is the defending Women's Singles Asian Champion.[3]

Early international career (2018–2019)

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Kim was born on 17 August 2001 in Pyongyang, North Korea.[4] She is left-handed and uses the shakehand grip in table tennis.[5]

She participated in her first two international competitions at the DPR Korea Open in 2018 and the Pyongyang Open in 2019.[6] She played at the 2019 Asian Junior and Cadet Table Tennis Championships and won the silver medal in the girls' team event. Later that year, she competed in the World Junior Table Tennis Championships, reaching the semifinals in the girls' singles and girls' teams events.[7][8]

Return to international competition and Olympic debut (2023–2024)

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Starting in 2020, North Korean players stopped competing internationally for three years, returning for the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023), where Kim competed in four events but did not win a medal.[6][9] In April 2024, Kim and her mixed doubles partner Ri Jong Sik qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics by defeating Spain in the ITTF World Olympic Qualification Tournament, 4–3.[10]

Kim and Ri, unranked by the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) due to their limited experience in international competitions, were the last-ranked team in the Olympic mixed doubles competition and faced defending champion Japan – ranked second globally – in the opening round.[11][12] In a major upset, the North Korean pair defeated Japan by a score of 4–1.[11][13] The pair followed it up by defeating eighth-seeded Sweden and then fourth-seeded Hong Kong to reach the tournament finals against China.[12][14] They were defeated in the finals, 4–2, and thus received the silver medal, becoming the first Olympic medal–winners from North Korea in eight years.[15][16] After the tournament, the pair, having previously avoided the media, briefly answered questions at a press conference, with Kim noting: "We prepared a lot for the Olympics. We had a good performance but there are some regrets. We'll do better next time to win the gold."[1]

Kim is noted for using a rare type of table tennis racket, featuring long pimpled rubber on the backside, which Reuters stated "caught many top players off guard" at the Olympics.[1] Swedish player Kristian Karlsson noted: "Her serve gave me a lot of trouble. Some of them looked easy, but I missed them. The rubber she uses is very unusual among female players and almost nonexistent among male players."[1]

Following their silver medal, Kim and Ri shared a selfie on the podium with their fellow medalists, including Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin of South Korea. This was celebrated around the world as a moment of great sportsmanship, but reportedly led to criticism from the North Korean authorities, who according to Daily NK placed Kim and Ri under "ideological scrutiny" upon their return to the country.[17]

Success after the Olympics (2024–present)

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Kim saw further success in 2024 at that year's Asian Table Tennis Championships. She won silver with Ri once again in the mixed doubles event and defeated Japan's Miwa Harimoto in the finals of the women's singles event to earn her first gold medal and become the Women's Singles Asian Champion.[3][6] The following year she competed in the same events at the 2025 World Table Tennis Championships, again partnering with Ri, but she did not reach the knockout stage of either event.[6][18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Hu, Krystal (30 July 2024). "Table Tennis-Mysterious and unconventional, North Korean runner-up duo baffle rivals". Reuters.
  2. ^ "Women's singles rankings Week #29 - July 15th". ittf.com. International Table Tennis Federation. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b Sakthimogan, Nathiyaah (14 October 2024). "Asian Championships Conclude in Stunning Fashion After Week of Thrilling Action". International Table Tennis Federation. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  4. ^ "Kim Kum Yong". www.nbcolympics.com. NBC News. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
  5. ^ "Kim Kum Yong: video, ranking". TableTennis.Guide. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "Kim Kum Yong – results at the ITTF tournaments". TableTennis.Guide. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  7. ^ Daish, Simon (25 November 2019). "Outstanding in Ulaanbaator, same again in Korat". International Table Tennis Federation. Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  8. ^ "NSDF 2019 ITTF World Junior Table Tennis Championships – Results – Knockouts". results.ittf.com. International Table Tennis Federation. Retrieved 16 October 2025.
  9. ^ Ahn, Hong-seok (22 September 2023). [아시안게임] 북한 여자탁구, 3년만의 국제무대 복귀전서 대만 제압 [[Asian Games] North Korea women's table tennis defeats Taiwan in return to the international stage after 3 years]. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Retrieved 14 October 2025.
  10. ^ Ahn, Yun-seok (13 April 2024). 북 탁구 혼성복식팀, 파리 올림픽 참가 자격 획득 [North Korea table tennis mixed doubles team qualified for Paris Olympics]. SPN (in Korean). Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  11. ^ a b Ahn, Hong-seok (28 July 2024). [올림픽] 북한 리정식-김금용, 탁구 혼복서 우승 후보 일본 제압 '대이변' [[Olympic Games] North Korea's Ri Jong Sik and Kim Kum Yong beat Japan, the candidates for the table tennis mixed boxing title, in a 'great upset']. Yonhap News Agency (in Korean). Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Ri and Kim from Democratic People's Republic of Korea reach table tennis mixed doubles final". Olympics.com. 29 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 29 July 2024 – via archive.ph.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ Hu, Krystal (28 July 2024). "Japan's Olympic mixed doubles table tennis team stunned in first round". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  14. ^ Hu, Krystal (29 July 2024). "Table Tennis-North Korea reaches mixed doubles final to challenge China". Reuters.
  15. ^ 북한, 8년 만 올림픽 메달…탁구 혼복 리정식-김금용 銀[올림픽] [North Korea wins Olympic medal after 8 years ... Table Tennis Mixed Ri Jong Sik – Kim Kum Yong Silver [Olympic]]. SPN (in Korean). 30 July 2024. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  16. ^ "North Korea Win First Olympic Medal In Eight Years With Table Tennis Silver". Barron's. Agence France-Presse. 30 July 2024. Archived from the original on 30 July 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  17. ^ McCurry, Justin (2 September 2024). "North Korean table tennis players may be punished for Olympic podium selfie with rivals from South". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Rising Through The Ranks: Another Career Best For Kim Kum Yong". www.worldtabletennis.com. Retrieved 16 October 2025.


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