How did Yun Kyu-sung win gold in men’s taekwondo poomsae at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games?

Yun topped the men’s individual poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium with an average score of 9.3800 from two routines. He edged Thailand’s Navin Pinthasute by 0.1 point.

Why does Yun Kyu-sung’s Asian Games gold matter for his military service?

Yun began his mandatory military service in June last year and serves in his Army unit’s taekwondo demonstration squad. The Asian Games gold allows him to receive an early discharge.

What record did South Korea set in taekwondo poomsae at the Asian Games on Thursday?

Yun’s win gave South Korea its second poomsae gold of the day after Jung Ha-eun’s victory in the women’s individual event. Yun also became the third South Korean male poomsae athlete to win an Asian Games title since the discipline became official in 2018.

S. Korea's Yun Kyu-sung wins 2nd gold in taekwondo poomsae at Asian Games

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Summary

South Korea's Yun Kyu-sung won the men’s individual taekwondo poomsae gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Toyohashi on Thursday. His 9.3800-point victory gave South Korea its second poomsae gold of the day, after Jung Ha-eun won the women’s individual event. Yun also became South Korea’s third male Asian Games poomsae champion since the discipline became official in 2018.

Key Facts

Yun scored 9.340 points in his first routine, with 3.680 for accuracy and 5.660 for presentation.
He scored 9.420 points in his second routine, with 5.680 for technique and 3.740 for presentation.
Yun beat Thailand’s Navin Pinthasute by 0.1 point in the final.
Yun is 24 and was the 2024 world poomsae silver medalist who won gold at this year’s Asian championships.
The gold medal qualifies Yun for an early discharge from his mandatory military service, and he said he thanked his officers and fellow soldiers for supporting his training.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 1, 2026 6:02 pm KST
Updated Oct 1, 2026 8:51 pm KST

South Korea's Yun Kyu-sung celebrates during the semifinals of the men's taekwondo individual poomsae at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya, Thursday. Yonhap

NAGOYA, Japan — South Korea's Yun Kyu-sung won the gold medal in the taekwondo poomsae event at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Thursday, giving the country its second gold in the taekwondo poomsae event.

Yun scored 9.3800 points to stand on the top of the podium in the men's individual taekwondo poomsae final at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, some 85 kilometers southeast of Nagoya.

His gold marked South Korea's second poomsae gold medal at the ongoing Asian Games, following Jung Ha-eun's gold in the women's individual event earlier in the day.

Yun also became the third South Korean male poomsae practitioner to win the Asian Games title, after Kang Min-sung and Kang Wan-jin, since the discipline became an official Asian Games event in 2018.

Yun scored 9.340 points in his first routine, thanks to 3.680 points for accuracy and 5.660 points for presentation. For the second routine, Yun received 5.680 points for his technique and 3.740 points for presentation, a total of 9.420 points.

His winning score was the average of the two scores. Yun held off Navin Pinthasute of Thailand by 0.1 point.

Yun, 24, is the 2024 world poomsae silver medalist who won gold at this year's Asian championships.

Yun, who began his mandatory military service in June last year, will now get an early discharge thanks to his Asian Games gold medal. He is a member of his Army unit's taekwondo demonstration squad.

South Korean male Asiad gold medalists who have not yet fulfilled their military duty receive exemption from the service. Those who win gold medals while in the armed forces are eligible for an early discharge, though in some cases, athletes have chosen to stay put to complete their time.

Yun thanked his officers and fellow soldiers for their support, and for allowing him to train for the Asian Games.

"They have helped me so much, and I miss them a lot," Yun said. "I have won many medals over my career, but I think this is the happiest I have felt."

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