South Korea has named three junior players to compete at the 17th World Junior 3-Cushion Billiards Championship.
The Korea Billiards Federation selected Song Yun-do (Hongseong High School Broadcasting and Communications High School), Kim Hyun-woo (Suseong High School Broadcasting and Communications High School) and Park Jae-hong (Cheongju High School Broadcasting and Communications High School) through a two-day trial held Monday and Tuesday at the Yanggu Comprehensive Sports Town in Yanggu-gun, Gangwon Province.
The three players will compete against top carom prospects from around the world at the tournament, set to run Sept. 18-20 in Gradignan, France.
The World Junior 3-Cushion Championship serves as a proving ground for emerging talent and has launched the careers of some of the sport's biggest names. In South Korea, Kim Haeng-jik of the South Jeolla Province Billiards Federation became the first Korean to claim the title in 2007 and went on to win it four times in total. Cho Myung-woo of the Seoul Metropolitan Government team has won the title three times, while Kim Tae-gwan and Oh Myung-gyu have each claimed it once.
Korea has consistently remained a force on the junior world stage in recent years — Jo Young-yun finished runner-up in 2024, and Kim Do-hyun of Sangdong High School Broadcasting and Communications High School took joint third place in 2025.
On Tuesday at the same venue, the federation also held a national team evaluation round to finalize the entry list for the 14th World Women's 3-Cushion Billiards Championship. Heo Chae-won of the Seoul Billiards Federation and Choi Da-young of the North Chungcheong Province Billiards Federation earned spots on the roster. The two players will compete at the event, also scheduled in Gradignan, France, from Sept. 15-17.
yjc@heraldcorp.com
