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Seo Seung-jae
South Korean badminton player (born 1997)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Seo Seung-jae (Korean: 서승재; born 4 September 1997) is a South Korean badminton player.[2][3] A three-time World champion, he is the first South Korean player in 24 years to have won two gold medals in a single edition of the BWF World Championships, by winning the mixed and men's doubles event at the 2023 BWF World Championships, partnering with Chae Yoo-jung and Kang Min-hyuk respectively.[4][5] He then went on to win his second men's doubles title in the 2025 BWF World Championships,[6] and first Asian Championships title in 2026 with his partner Kim Won-ho.[7] He competed at the 2017 Sudirman Cup and helped the Korean national team to its fourth trophy.[8] He reached a career-high as world number 1 in the men's doubles with Kim Won-ho.
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Seo in 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 4 September 1997 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | South Korea | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Badminton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Handedness | Left | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Men's & mixed doubles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest ranking | 1 (MD with Kim Won-ho, 22 July 2025) 2 (MD with Kang Min-hyuk, 20 February 2024) 7 (MD with Choi Sol-gyu, 19 November 2019) 2 (XD with Chae Yoo-jung, 12 March 2024) 5 (XD with Kim Ha-na, 17 May 2018) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current ranking | 1 (MD with Kim Won-ho, 14 July 2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BWF profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
2014 to 2019
In 2014, Seo competed at the Summer Youth Olympics in Nanjing, China.[9]
As a student of Wonkwang University, Seo was entrusted to take part in the 2017 Summer Universiade in Taiwan.[10] He managed to win the men's doubles gold medal with Kim Jae-hwan.[11]
2020 to 2021: Olympic disappointment and Partnership with Choi Sol-Gyu
Seo competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the men's doubles partnered with Choi Sol-gyu and in the mixed doubles with Chae Yoo-jung. He was eliminated in the group stage and quarter-finals respectively.[12] After the Olympics, Seo played at the Sudirman Cup and the Thomas Cup, where Korea did not get any medal in both events. He only played two BWF World Tour tournaments in 2021, the Indonesia Masters and Indonesia Open.[13]
2022: Beginnings of partnership with Kang Min-hyuk
In 2022, Seo officially started a new partnership with his junior Kang Min-hyuk. The duo immediately caught attention by winning the Korea Open, defeating higher-ranked pairs such as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, Mohammad Ahsan and Hendra Setiawan, and their final opponent Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Rian Ardianto in the journey.[14] The duo also won all their matches in the Thomas Cup. However, Seo and Kang saw their results fluctuate throughout 2022, with notable early exits at the Japan Open, Malaysia Open, and the French Open.[15] Seo resumed playing mixed doubles with Chae Yoo-jung at the Indonesia Masters as semi-finalists.[15] The Seo and Chae combination became champions at the Australian Open over teammates Jeong Na-eun and Kim Won-ho,[16] as well as semi-finalists at the Indonesia Open and quarter-finalists at the World Championships.[15]
2023: Double's Double Glory
2023 was Seo's breakthrough year. He won the World Championships in both mixed doubles and men's doubles with his first victory over the world number 1 Zheng Siwei and Huang Yaqiong in mixed doubles, as well as overcoming home favorites Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in men's doubles.[5][17] He also secured his first ever Super 1000 title at the China Open with a second consecutive victory over Zheng and Huang at the quarter-finals.[18] Thanks to his achievements, Seo was awarded the Male Player of the Year for 2023.[19] He completed the year with his first ever World Tour Finals title, this time from men's doubles, after winning against reigning world number 1 Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang.[20]
2025
Starting the 2025 season with new partner, Seo and Kim Won-ho emerged victorious at the opening tournament of the BWF World Tour in the Malaysia Open.[21] Seo continuing his good form in the next tournament by being a runner-up in India Open[22] and winning the Thailand Masters[23] with another partner, Jin Yong. In March, Seo paired with Kim again and won German Open against France's Popov brothers (Toma Junior and Christo)[24] as well as the All England against Leo Rolly Carnando and former winner Bagas Maulana.
Seo's partnership with Kim Won-ho failed to perform up to expectations when they shockingly crashed out in the 2nd round of the 2025 Asia Championships in April.
However, they bounced back quickly, reaching the final in the Singapore Badminton Open and eventually losing to the Malaysian pairing of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, before winning the Indonesia Open a week later.
Seo managed to break the record for the most number of BWF World Tour titles in a single calendar year and in a single season by finishing with 12 titles in 2026.
2026
In 2026, Seo and Kim kicked off their successful campaign with 3 wins in all 3 individual tournaments which they had competed in. They started off with a huge win over the Malaysian pairing of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik in the 2026 Malaysia Open. However, due to Seo's shoulder injury, they withdrew from the India Open.
They returned in March, where they competed in the 2026 All England Open and won their 2nd consecutive All England Men's Doubles title in 2 years.
Following the disappointment from 2025, Seo and Kim dominated the 2026 Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, winning the title without dropping a single game throughout the entirety of the tournament.
Both Seo and Kim were also selected to represent South Korea as part of the 2026 Thomas Cup squad. They played in all three group stage matches. Due to an injury of Kang Min-hyuk, Seo and Kim were split up for the first two matchups against Denmark and Chinese Taipei, but reunited in the final group stage matchup against Sweden.
Achievements
World Championships
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark |  Kang Min-hyuk |
 Kim Astrup Anders Skaarup Rasmussen |
14–21, 21–15, 21–17 |  Gold |
[5] |
| 2025 | Adidas Arena, Paris, France | Kim Won-ho |
 Chen Boyang Liu Yi |
21–17, 21–12 | Gold |
[6] |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark | Chae Yoo-jung |
Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong |
21–17, 10–21, 21–18 | Gold |
[5] |
Asian Games
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Binjiang Gymnasium, Hangzhou, China | Chae Yoo-jung |
Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong |
21–13, 15–21, 16–21 |  Bronze |
Asian Championships
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Ningbo, China | Kim Won-ho |
Kang Min-hyuk Ki Dong-ju |
21–13, 21–17 | Gold |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Ningbo Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium, Ningbo, China | Chae Yoo-jung |
Feng Yanzhe Huang Dongping |
21–13, 15–21, 14–21 |  Silver |
Summer Universiade
Men's doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Taipei Gymnasium, Taipei, Taiwan | Kim Jae-hwan |
 Katsuki Tamate Kenya Mitsuhashi |
21–12, 21–19 | Gold |
World Junior Championships
Boys' doubles
| Year | Venue | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand | Choi Jong-woo |
Huang Kaixiang Zheng Siwei |
11–21, 13–21 | Bronze |
Asian Junior Championships
Boys' singles
BWF World Tour (29 titles, 19 runners-up)
The BWF World Tour, which was announced on 19 March 2017 and implemented in 2018,[25] is a series of elite badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF). The BWF World Tour is divided into levels of World Tour Finals, Super 1000, Super 750, Super 500, Super 300, and the BWF Tour Super 100.[26]
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Korea Masters | Super 300 | Choi Sol-gyu |
 Po Li-wei Wang Chi-lin |
21–12, 17–21, 21–18 |  Winner |
| 2019 | Spain Masters | Super 300 | Kim Won-ho |
Lee Yang Wang Chi-lin |
8–21, 21–23 |  Runner-up |
| 2019 | Chinese Taipei Open | Super 300 | Choi Sol-gyu |
 Goh V Shem Tan Wee Kiong |
19–21, 21–15, 21–23 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | Vietnam Open | Super 100 | Choi Sol-gyu |
Na Sung-seung Wang Chan |
18–21, 21–16, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2019 | Hong Kong Open | Super 500 | Choi Sol-gyu |
 Mohammad Ahsan Hendra Setiawan |
13–21, 21–12, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2019 | Syed Modi International | Super 300 | Choi Sol-gyu |
He Jiting Tan Qiang |
18–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Rian Ardianto |
19–21, 21–15, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2023 | German Open | Super 300 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Choi Sol-gyu Kim Won-ho |
19–21, 21–18, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | Malaysia Masters | Super 500 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Man Wei Chong Tee Kai Wun |
21–15, 22–24, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2023 | Australian Open | Super 500 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Takuro Hoki Yugo Kobayashi |
21–17, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2023 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Kang Min-hyuk |
Liang Weikeng Wang Chang |
21–17, 22–20 | Winner |
| 2024 | India Open | Super 750 | Kang Min-hyuk |
 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Chirag Shetty |
15–21, 21–11, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2024 | Japan Open | Super 750 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Goh Sze Fei Nur Izzuddin |
19–21, 15–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Leo Rolly Carnando Bagas Maulana |
21–18, 9–21, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | Hong Kong Open | Super 500 | Kang Min-hyuk |
Sabar Karyaman Gutama Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani |
21–13, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2024 | China Masters | Super 750 | Jin Yong |
Sabar Karyaman Gutama Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani |
21–16, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2025 | Malaysia Open | Super 1000 | Kim Won-ho |
Chen Boyang Liu Yi |
19–21, 21–12, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2025 | India Open | Super 750 | Kim Won-ho |
Goh Sze Fei Nur Izzudin |
15–21, 21–13, 16–21 | Runner-up |
| 2025 | Thailand Masters | Super 300 | Jin Yong |
Muhammad Shohibul Fikri Daniel Marthin |
21–18, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2025 | German Open | Super 300 | Kim Won-ho |
 Christo Popov Toma Junior Popov |
21–19, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2025 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Kim Won-ho |
Leo Rolly Carnando Bagas Maulana |
21–19, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2025 | Singapore Open | Super 750 | Kim Won-ho |
Aaron Chia Soh Wooi Yik |
21–15, 18–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2025 | Indonesia Open | Super 1000 | Kim Won-ho |
Sabar Karyaman Gutama Muhammad Reza Pahlevi Isfahani |
18–21, 21–19, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2025 | Japan Open | Super 750 | Kim Won-ho |
Goh Sze Fei Nur Izzuddin |
21–16, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2025 | China Masters | Super 750 | Kim Won-ho |
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy Chirag Shetty |
21–19, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2025 | Korea Open | Super 500 | Kim Won-ho |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Shohibul Fikri |
21–16, 23–21 | Winner |
| 2025 | French Open | Super 750 | Kim Won-ho |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Shohibul Fikri |
10–21, 21–13, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2025 | Japan Masters | Super 500 | Kim Won-ho |
Hiroki Midorikawa Kyohei Yamashita |
20–22, 21–11, 21–16 | Winner |
| 2025 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Kim Won-ho |
Liang Weikeng Wang Chang |
21–18, 21–14 | Winner |
| 2026 | Malaysia Open | Super 1000 | Kim Won-ho |
Aaron Chia Soh Wooi Yik |
21–15, 12–21, 21–18 | Winner |
| 2026 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Kim Won-ho |
Aaron Chia Soh Wooi Yik |
18–21, 21–12, 21–19 | Winner |
| 2026 | Japan Open | Super 750 | Kim Won-ho |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Shohibul Fikri |
19–21, 17–21 | Runner-up |
| 2026 | China Open | Super 1000 | Kim Won-ho |
Fajar Alfian Muhammad Shohibul Fikri |
21–16, 19–21, 19–21 | Runner-up |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Level | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | New Zealand Open | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Wang Chi-lin Lee Chia-hsin |
19–21, 21–14, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2018 | Australian Open | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Chan Peng Soon Goh Liu Ying |
21–12, 23–21 | Winner |
| 2018 | French Open | Super 750 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong |
19–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2019 | Spain Masters | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Wang Chi-lin Cheng Chi-ya |
21–18, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2019 | German Open | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Hafiz Faizal Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja |
21–17, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2019 | Chinese Taipei Open | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
 Tang Chun Man Tse Ying Suet |
18–21, 10–21 | Runner-up |
| 2020 (II) | Thailand Open | Super 1000 | Chae Yoo-jung |
 Dechapol Puavaranukroh Sapsiree Taerattanachai |
16–21, 20–22 | Runner-up |
| 2020 | BWF World Tour Finals | World Tour Finals | Chae Yoo-jung |
Dechapol Puavaranukroh Sapsiree Taerattanachai |
18–21, 21–8, 8–21 | Runner-up |
| 2022 | Australian Open | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Kim Won-ho Jeong Na-eun |
21–9, 21–17 | Winner |
| 2023 | Thailand Masters | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Feng Yanzhe Huang Dongping |
21–18, 15–21, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | All England Open | Super 1000 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong |
16–21, 21–16, 12–21 | Runner-up |
| 2023 | China Open | Super 1000 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Thom Gicquel Delphine Delrue |
21–19, 21–12 | Winner |
| 2023 | Korea Masters | Super 300 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Jiang Zhenbang Wei Yaxin |
21–14, 21–15 | Winner |
| 2023 | China Masters | Super 750 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong |
10–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2024 | French Open | Super 750 | Chae Yoo-jung |
Feng Yanzhe Huang Dongping |
16–21, 16–21 | Runner-up |
BWF Grand Prix (4 titles, 3 runners-up)
The BWF Grand Prix had two levels, the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Gold. It was a series of badminton tournaments sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and played between 2007 and 2017.
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Canada Open | Kim Won-ho |
 Peter Briggs Tom Wolfenden |
20–22, 21–16, 19–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | Macau Open | Kim Won-ho |
Wahyu Nayaka Ade Yusuf |
13–21, 14–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | Korea Masters | Kim Won-ho |
Jung Jae-wook Kim Gi-jung |
21–15, 21–16 | Winner |
Mixed doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Chinese Taipei Open | Kim Ha-na |
Wang Chi-lin Lee Chia-hsin |
22–20, 21–10 | Winner |
| 2017 | U.S. Open | Kim Ha-na |
Kim Won-ho Shin Seung-chan |
16–21, 21–14, 21–11 | Winner |
| 2017 | Macau Open | Kim Ha-na |
Zheng Siwei Huang Yaqiong |
14–21, 11–21 | Runner-up |
| 2017 | Korea Masters | Kim Ha-na |
Choi Sol-gyu Chae Yoo-jung |
17–21, 21–13, 21–18 | Winner |
- BWF Grand Prix Gold tournament
- BWF Grand Prix tournament
BWF International Challenge/Series (2 titles)
Men's doubles
| Year | Tournament | Partner | Opponent | Score | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Norwegian International | Choi Sol-gyu |
Mads Emil Christensen Kristoffer Knudsen |
21–12, 21–13 | Winner |
| 2018 | Irish Open | Choi Sol-gyu |
 Jack MacGregor Ciar Pringle |
21–17, 21–12 | Winner |
- BWF International Challenge tournament
- BWF International Series tournament
