The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (Minister CHAE Hwi-young, MCST) held the 2025 Awards Ceremony for Contributors to Sports Development and the 63rd Korea Sports Awards on November 21 (Friday) at the Westin Josun Seoul. A total of 69 honorees were recognized for 2025, including 54 recipients of the Sports Order of Merit—12 of whom received the highest Cheongryong order—7 recipients of Sport Merit Medals, and nine recipients of the Korea Sports Award. Minister CHAE attended the ceremony to present awards and offer his congratulations to the winners.

A total of 60 Contributors to Sports Development commendations awarded,
 including 53 Sports Orders of Merit and 7 Sport Merit Medals

Established in 1973, the Contributors to Sport Development commendation represents the highest honor in the Korea sports sector, and is awarded to athletes, coaches, and other leaders in sports who have elevated the standing of Korean sports and contributed significantly to the development of national sports. The awards are presented in two categories: athletes and coaches recognized for outstanding performance in international sports events, and contributors to national sports development. Recipients are selected based on their achievements, evaluation scores by competition, and whether they satisfy the international competition criteria required for each award type.

This year, 56 athletes and coaches were honored in this category. The highest tier Cheongryong Order of Sports Merit was awarded to twelve individuals: Park Chae-soon, coach of the Korea Archery Association; Choi Eun-jong, modern pentathlon coach for Gyeonggi Provincial Government; Jeong Jae-heon, archery coach for Daegu Jung-gu Office; bowlers Lee Na-young and Kang Hee-won of the Korea Bowling Association; soft tennis athlete Kim Beon-jun of Mungyeong City Hall; Kim Dong-hyun, weightlifting assistant coach at Korea National Sports University; Jeon Yong-seong, weightlifting teacher at Samil High School; para-table tennis athletes Joo Young-dae and Kang Wae-jeong with Gyeongnam Parasports Association; and lawn bowl athletes Lim Cheon-gyu of the Busan Para Lawn Bowls Federation and Yoon Bok-ja of the Jeonnam Para Lawn Bowls Federation.

The Maengho (Tiger) Order of Sports Merit was awarded to 16 individuals, including senior police officer Kim Sung-Min of the Northern Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency (former national judo athlete) and bowler An Seong-jo of the Gyeonggi-do Parasports Association. The Geosang (Giant) Order went to 14 recipients, including the late athlete Ryu Je-hyung, former bodybuilder with the Korea Bodybuilding Federation, and goalball athlete Sim Sun-hwa with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Seven individuals received the Baengma (White Horse) Order, including Lee Sun-min, senior officer and former national shooting athlete with the Korea Shooting Federation. The Girin (Giraffe) Order was presented to An Hyo-gi, rowing coach at K-Water. Six awardees received the Sports Merit Medal, including taekwondo coach Jang Se-wook with the Royal Oman Police. A total of four individuals were honored in the contributors to national sports development category. The Maengho Order was awarded to the late Choi Sang-young, former president of the Korean Sports Association in Japan, and Lim Chae-il, the president of Ulsan Cycling Federation. The Geosang Order was received by Lee Bong-young, president of the Yeongnam County Sports Council, and Park Jeong-mok, president of the Busan Seo-gu Football Association.

Nine honorees selected for the 63rd Korea Sports Awards, including badminton star An Se-young

Established in 1963, the Korea Sports Awards recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions and achievements to the advancement and promotion of national sports. This year, nine individuals, including athletes and referees, were selected across seven categories. Each winner received a commendation certificate, prize money, and additional awards.

The Presidential Commendation for the Athletic Performance Award was presented to badminton athlete An Se-young, who won the women’s singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the first in 28 years for Korea. The Coaching Award went to coach Choi Yong-ho, who discovered and trained badminton stars Lee Yong-dae and An Se-young. The Para Athletic Performance Award went to para-triathlete Kim Hwang-tae, the first Korean ever to compete in the paratriathlon at the Paris 2024 Paralympics. The Para Sports Award was presented to Ko Gwang-man, vice president of the Yeoju City Parasports Association, who has contributed to hosting inclusive sports festivals together with athletes with and without disabilities. The Referee Award went to Jang In-seong, head of the referees committee at the Korea Swimming Federation, for having served as a diving referee at major domestic and international diving competitions.