Global Leaderboard 50 in view

Most Famous South Korean Athletes

7,012 YK

Yuna Kim South Korean Skater b. 1990

12,194 SH

Son Heung-min South Korean Football b. 1992

25,138 JS Jung Sung-ryong South Korean Football b. 1985

38,743 SO

Seung-hwan Oh South Korean Baseball b. 1982

39,087 LY

Lee Young-pyo South Korean Football b. 1977

43,393 KB

Kim Bo-kyung South Korean Football b. 1989

46,226 CH

Choi Hong Hi South Korean Athlete 1918–2002

52,543 KS

Kim Shin-wook South Korean Football b. 1988

58,228 KD

Kim Dong-jin South Korean Football b. 1982

61,945 CB

Cha Bum-kun South Korean Football b. 1953

66,552 LY

Lee Yong-dae South Korean Badminton b. 1988

72,702 HS

Hwang Sun-hong South Korean Football b. 1968

84,988 KY

Kim Young-kwang South Korean Football b. 1983

88,237 ST

Shin Tae-yong South Korean Football b. 1970

93,154 HS Ha Seok-ju South Korean Football b. 1968

93,897 YK

Yeom Ki-hun South Korean Football b. 1983

105,054 HJ

Huh Jung-moo South Korean Football b. 1955

112,721 CM Choi Min-ho (judoka) South Korean Judo b. 1980

116,606 LE Lee Eul-yong South Korean Football b. 1975

116,960 HY

Hwang Young-cho South Korean Runner b. 1970

145,319 KJ

K. J. Choi South Korean Golf b. 1970

145,457 BP

Byung-ho Park South Korean Baseball b. 1986

147,615 PJ Park Joo-bong South Korean Badminton b. 1964

148,225 KJ Ko Jong-soo South Korean Football b. 1978

157,097 HC

Hee-seop Choi South Korean Baseball b. 1979

163,514 KJ

Ko Jeong-woon South Korean Football b. 1966

170,100 KD Kim Dong-moon South Korean Badminton b. 1975

174,542 BJ

Baek Ji-hoon South Korean Football b. 1985

177,543 YY

Yoo Yong-sung South Korean Badminton b. 1974

179,072 JM

Jang Mi-ran South Korean Weightlifter b. 1983

188,507 HY Hyun Young-min South Korean Football b. 1979

195,798 KD Kim Duk-koo South Korean Boxer 1959–1982

206,216 CH

Choi Heung-chul South Korean Ski b. 1981

216,762 KM Kim Min-kyun South Korean Football b. 1988

234,953 PH

Park Hang-seo South Korean Football b. 1959

269,825 CY

Choi Young-il South Korean Football b. 1966

276,990 LC Lee Chung-hee (basketball) South Korean Basket b. 1959

296,294 YJ

Yun Ju-tae South Korean Football b. 1990

296,890 KE

Kim Eun-jung (curler) South Korean Curler b. 1990

298,406 CB Chun Byung-kwan South Korean Weightlifter b. 1969

300,281 CI

Choi In-jeong South Korean Fencer b. 1990

338,899 KJ Kim Jong-il (athlete) South Korean Athletic b. 1962

384,914 KW Kim Weon-kee South Korean Wrestler 1962–2017

459,415 JH Jong Hyun-wook South Korean Baseball b. 1978

482,989 PJ Park Jong-hwan South Korean Football b. 1938

500,102 RG Randi Griffin South Korean Sport b. 1988

571,627 YH Yuh Hwan-kil South Korean Boxer 1962–2009

775,676 ŽS Žanko Savov South Korean Football b. 1965

878,865 KC

Kim Cheong-yong South Korean Sport b. 1997

924,187 CJ Chang Jong-hoon South Korean Baseball b. 1968

See all 152,953 rankings →

Ranked by cross-verified academic notability — how it works

By the numbers

Inside South Korea Athletes

52 notable people in this slice of the dataset.

Through the Decades

One face per decade — the most globally famous south korea athletes born in each.

Notable Births by Decade

Notable births among South Korea Athletes peaked in the 1980s with 15 people.

What South Korea Athletes Are Known For

Click any row to drill into that filter.

Biggest Most distinctive

Football are South Korea Athletes's biggest group — 46% of all notables (24).

South Korea Athletes over-index on baseball — 6.7× the global rate.

Football2446%
Baseball59.6%
Badminton47.7%
Weightlifter23.8%
Boxer23.8%
Sport23.8%
Skater11.9%
Athlete11.9%

Baseball56.7×
Football245.0×

City Hot Spots

Cities that over-produce South Korea Athletes compared to the world average — multiplier shows how much more.