Will Shin Yubin Lead South Korea to Its First Women’s Team Medal at the 2026 World Table Tennis Championships?

Translation result.

[Anchor] Shin Yubin, South Korea’s leading women’s table tennis player, is preparing for next month’s World Team Table Tennis Championships in London. Once known by the nickname “Ppiyak-i,” she has matured into a dependable leader on the roster. Reporter Woo Jun-sung visited the national team’s training base.[Reporter] Shin Yubin still greets people with an easy smile, but her eyes sharpen the moment she watches a ball in play. Though she can still seem like the youngster, she has grown into one of the team’s core players. With 2005-born Kim Na-young and 2007-born Park Ga-hyun joining the squad, Shin now sits squarely in the middle of the five-woman lineup.Shin Yubin / Women’s National Table Tennis Team: “I’m starting to understand, bit by bit, how my older teammates felt and the responsibilities they carried. I’m studying hard to become as strong a player as they are.”As an older teammate, Shin’s go-to way of looking after the younger players is simple: treat them to good food.Park Ga-hyun / Women’s National Table Tennis Team: “Yubin is really great to us. Every time we come to the gym she asks if we want anything tasty and often buys us snacks.”The London World Championships carry extra meaning for Shin, who will lead the team as its ace. The squad has set its sights on winning a team medal—the first for South Korea’s women’s team since the unified Korea team won bronze at the 2018 championships.Shin Yubin / Women’s National Table Tennis Team: “We still don’t have a World Championships team medal, and I really want to win one. It won’t be enough for just one player to perform well; several of us need to play at our best.”Meanwhile, men’s team standout Jang Woo-jin says the squad is determined to improve on the bronze they earned at the 2024 Busan event and reach the final this time.Jang Woo-jin / Men’s National Table Tennis Team: “The disappointment still lingers. Our first goal is, as I said earlier, to win the opening preliminary match. But this time we’re aiming for the final.”The team departs for London on the 28th. This is Woo Jun-sung for Yonhap News TV.[Video footage: Oh Eun-jae] [Video editing: Kim Do-i] [Graphics: Im Hye-bin] #TableTennis #WorldChampionships #London #ShinYubin #TeamEvent #JangWoojin #KimNayoung #ParkGahyun For Yonhap News TV story inquiries and tips: KakaoTalk/Line jebo23. Woo Jun-sung (Spaceship@yna.co.kr)