The 2021 Korean Curling Championships (branded as the 2021 KB Financial Korean Curling Championships), Korea's national curling championships, were held from June 23 to July 3 at the Gangneung Curling Centre in Gangneung, South Korea. The winning teams on both the men's and women's sides became the Korean National Teams for the 2021–22 curling season. They represented Korea at the 2021 Pacific-Asia Curling Championships, 2022 World Women's Curling Championship, 2022 World Men's Curling Championship and the Olympic Qualification Event in attempts to reach the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. The championship was held in two rounds.
Summary
Women On the women's side, Team Kim Eun-jung, representing Gangneung City Hall, defended their national title from the 2020–21 season by winning both the first and second rounds. In Round 1, Teams Kim Eun-jung and Kim Min-ji, representing Chuncheon City Hall, both posted 4–0 records through the round robin and Teams Gim Un-chi (Gyeonggi Province) and Kim Ji-su (Songhyun High School A) went 3–1. Eun-jung then defeated Ji-su 5–3 in one semifinal and Gim Un-chi topped Kim Min-ji 8–6 in the other. Gangneung City Hall then defeated Gyeonggi Province 11–6 in the final. In Round 2, Kim Eun-jung and her team topped the double round robin with a 5–1 record which secured their place as the national champions. Team Kim Min-ji, who finished 4–2 and Team Gim Un-chi, who finished 3–3, played a second place game to determine the national team backup, which Min-ji won 6–4.
Team Kim Eun-jung, consisting of Eun-jung, third Kim Kyeong-ae, second Kim Cho-hi, lead Kim Seon-yeong, alternate Kim Yeong-mi and coaches Peter Gallant and Lim Myung-sup won the national championship during the 2020–21 season and represented South Korea at the 2021 World Women's Curling Championship. There, the team finished with a 7–6 record, tied for fifth place. However, due to their losses against Teams Canada and the United States, they placed seventh after the round robin, missing the playoffs and direct qualification for South Korea for the 2022 Winter Olympics. This meant the team had to play in the Olympic Qualification Event in December 2021 to qualify for the Olympics, which they won the silver medal at in 2018. At the qualification tournament, Team Kim finished third and secured the final women's berth to the Beijing Olympics.
Men The men's championship also finished in two rounds with Team Kim Soo-hyuk, representing the Gyeongbuk Athletic Association, winning both the first and second rounds. In Round 1, Team Kim Soo-hyuk and defending champions Team Jeong Yeong-seok, representing the Gyeonggido Curling Federation, both went undefeated through the round robin and Teams Lee Ki-jeong (Gangwon-do Office) and Lee Jeong-jae (Seoul City Hall) both had one loss. The Gyeongbuk Athletic Association then topped Seoul City Hall 8–3 in one semifinal and the Gyeonggido Curling Federation beat Gangwon-do Office in the other. Kim Soo-hyuk then won the round by scoring three in an extra end to defeat Jeong Yeong-seok 10–7. In Round 2, Teams Kim Soo-hyuk and Lee Ki-jeong finished tied with 4–2 records after the round robin with Lee Jeong-jae at 3–3 and Jeong Yeong-seok at 1–5. Soo-hyuk and Ki-jeong then played a final to determine the winner of Round 2, which Soo-hyuk won 6–5 in an extra end.
After Team Jeong Yeong-seok won the 2020 Korean Curling Championships, they earned the right to represent South Korea at the 2021 World Men's Curling Championship. There, they finished with a 2–11 record. Like the women's team, Team Kim Soo-hyuk, consisting of Soo-hyuk, third Kim Chang-min, second Jeon Jae-ik, lead Kim Hak-kyun and coach Yoon So-min had to finish in the top three at the Olympic Qualification Event to qualify for the 2022 Olympics. Unfortunately, the team finished with a 2–6 record at the qualification tournament, failing to advance to the Games.
Medalists MenKim Soo-hyukKim Chang-minJeon Jae-ikKim Hak-kyun Gangwon-do OfficeLee Ki-jeongPark Jong-dukLee Ki-bokOh Seung-hoonSeong Yu-jinJeong Yeong-seokKim Jeong-minPark Se-wonLee Jun-hyungSeo Min-gukWomen Gangneung City HallKim Eun-jungKim Kyeong-aeKim Cho-hiKim Seon-yeongKim Yeong-mi Chuncheon City HallKim Min-jiKim Hye-rinHa Seung-younKim Su-jinYang Tae-i Gyeonggi ProvinceGim Un-chiSeol Ye-jiKim Su-jiSeol Ye-eunPark You-been
Format The Korean Curling Championships are held every year to determine the teams that will compete at the Pacific-Asia Curling Championships in hopes of reaching the World Curling Championships. Every four years, the winner of the championship also goes onto represent South Korea at the Olympic Games. In order to determine the Olympic Teams, the championship is held in three rounds to ensure the best team wins. The first round is open to all teams and the second round is open to the top four placing teams from the first round. If one team wins both the first and second rounds, then no third round is needed. The third and final round is a best-of-seven series between the winners of rounds one and two to determine the national champion and Olympic representative.
Men
Teams The men's teams are listed as follows: Team Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Locale Bongmyeong High School Kim Tae-hun Moon Hyeon Kwon Oh-woo Lim Byeong-hyeon Shim Ju-hwan Cheongju Chuncheon High School Kim Hak-kyun Park Jin-hwan Kim Myeong-jun Park Jong-hyeon Chuncheon Gangwon-do Curling Club Park Hyeon-su Li Seon-kyu Kim Jin-woong Jeong Da-yeol Gangwon Gangwon-do Office Lee Ki-jeong Park Jong-duk Lee Ki-bok Oh Seung-hoon Seong Yu-jin Gangwon Gyeongbuk Athletic Association Kim Soo-hyuk Kim Chang-min Jeon Jae-ik Kim Hak-kyun Uiseong Gyeonggido Curling Federation Jeong Yeong-seok Kim Jeong-min Park Se-won Lee Jun-hyung Seo Min-guk Gyeonggi-do Kyungil University Lee Jae-beom Kim Eun-bin Pyo Jeong-min Choi Jae-hyeok Daegu Seoul City Hall Lee Jeong-jae Jeong Byeong-jin Kim San Kim Tae-hwan Seoul Seoul Sports High School Oh Gyu-nam Kang Min-jun Park Yeong-ho Park Jeong-hwan Song Ye-sung Seoul Uijeongbu High School Yang Woo-jin Kim Min-sang Jeong Hyeon-wuk Park Seo-yun Kim Hong-geon Uijeongbu Uiseong High School Choi Won-yeong Kim Hyo-jun Kim Jin-hun Lee Jun-hwa Kim Min-je Uiseong
Round 1 The first round of the championship was held from June 23 to 28. The top two teams in each pool advanced to the playoffs and the second round.
Round robin standings Final Round Robin Standings KeyTeams to Playoffs Pool A Skip W L Gyeongbuk Athletic Association Kim Soo-hyuk 4 0 49.3 Gangwon-do Office Lee Ki-jeong 3 1 24.4 Kyungil University Lee Jae-beom 2 2 47.4 Seoul Sports High School Oh Gyu-nam 1 3 111.9 Uijeongbu High School Yang Woo-jin 0 4 36.7 Pool B Skip W L Gyeonggido Curling Federation Jeong Yeong-seok 5 0 53.8 Seoul City Hall Lee Jeong-jae 4 1 29.1 Uiseong High School Choi Won-yeong 3 2 46.7 Chuncheon High School Kim Hak-kyun 1 4 84.3 Bongmyeong High School Kim Tae-hun 1 4 86.5 Gangwon-do Curling Club Park Hyeon-su 1 4 123.0
Round robin results All draw times are listed in Korean Standard Time (UTC+09:00).
Draw 1 Wednesday, June 23, 9:00 am
Draw 3 Wednesday, June 23, 7:00 pm
Draw 5 Thursday, June 24, 2:00 pm
Draw 7 Friday, June 25, 9:00 am
Draw 9 Friday, June 25, 7:00 pm
Draw 10 Saturday, June 26, 9:00 am
Draw 12 Saturday, June 26, 7:00 pm
Playoffs
Semifinals Sunday, June 27, 7:00 pm
Third place game Monday, June 28, 11:00 am
Final Monday, June 28, 6:00 pm
Round 2 The second round of the championship was held from June 30 to July 3. As Round 1 champions Kim Soo-hyuk won the round, no third round was needed.
Round robin standings Final Round Robin Standings KeyTeams to Final
Team Skip W L Gyeongbuk Athletic Association Kim Soo-hyuk 4 2 26.9 Gangwon-do Office Lee Ki-jeong 4 2 57.4 Seoul City Hall Lee Jeong-jae 3 3 18.3 Gyeonggido Curling Federation Jeong Yeong-seok 1 5 34.1
Round-robin results All draw times are listed in Korean Standard Time (UTC+09:00).
Draw 1 Wednesday, June 30, 10:00 am
Draw 2 Wednesday, June 30, 7:00 pm
Draw 3 Thursday, July 1, 10:00 am
Draw 4 Thursday, July 1, 7:00 pm
Draw 5 Friday, July 2, 10:00 am
Draw 6 Friday, July 2, 7:00 pm
Playoffs
Final Saturday, July 3, 10:00 am
Final standings PlaceTeamSkip Gyeongbuk Athletic Association Kim Soo-hyuk Gangwon-do Office Lee Ki-jeong Gyeonggido Curling Federation Jeong Yeong-seok4 Seoul City Hall Lee Jeong-jae5 Uiseong High School Choi Won-yeong6 Kyungil University Lee Jae-beom7 Seoul Sports High School Oh Gyu-nam8 Chuncheon High School Kim Hak-kyun9 Bongmyeong High School Kim Tae-hun10 Gangwon-do Curling Club Park Hyeon-su11 Uijeongbu High School Yang Woo-jin
Women
Teams The women's teams are listed as follows: Team Skip Third Second Lead Alternate Locale Bongmyeong High School Kim Min-seo Shim Yu-jeong Cho Da-hye Kim Su-bin Lee Seong-rin Cheongju Chuncheon City Hall Kim Min-ji Kim Hye-rin Ha Seung-youn Kim Su-jin Yang Tae-i Chuncheon Gangneung City Hall Kim Eun-jung Kim Kyeong-ae Kim Cho-hi Kim Seon-yeong Kim Yeong-mi Gangneung Gyeonggi Province Gim Un-chi Seol Ye-ji Kim Su-ji Seol Ye-eun Park You-been Uijeongbu Jeonbuk Province Shin Ga-yeong Song Yu-jin Lee Ji-yeong Shin Eun-jin Jeonbuk Sehyeon High School Ban Hee-eun Jeong Yung-yeong Kang Su-ji Shin Su-ah Kwak Ji-hye Seoul Songhyun High School A Kim Ji-su Jeong Jae-hee Kang Na-ra Lee Eun-chae Uijeongbu Songhyun High School B Kang Bo-bae Park Han-byul Choi Ye-jin Lee You-sun Jo Ju-hee Uijeongbu Uiseong Girls High School A Lee Eun-chae Yang Seung-hee Jeong Min-jae Kang Min-hyo Uiseong Uiseong Girls High School B Kim Sur-yeong Bang Yu-jin Kim Hae-jeong Kim Ji-hyeon Uiseong
Round 1 The first round of the championship was held from June 23 to 28. The top two teams in each pool advanced to the playoffs and the second round.
Round robin standings Final Round Robin Standings KeyTeams to Playoffs Pool A Skip W L Gangneung City Hall Kim Eun-jung 4 0 38.6 Gyeonggi Province Gim Un-chi 3 1 57.4 Songhyun High School B Kang Bo-bae 1 3 42.2 Uiseong Girls High School A Lee Eun-chae 1 3 75.3 Bongmyeong High School Kim Min-seo 1 3 77.9 Pool B Skip W L Chuncheon City Hall Kim Min-ji 4 0 36.0 Songhyun High School A Kim Ji-su 3 1 32.2 Jeonbuk Province Shin Ga-yeong 2 2 64.6 Uiseong Girls High School B Kim Sur-yeong 1 3 65.9 Sehyeon High School Ban Hee-eun 0 4 113.7
Round robin results All draw times are listed in Korean Standard Time (UTC+09:00).
Draw 2 Wednesday, June 23, 2:00 pm
Draw 4 Thursday, June 24, 9:00 am
Draw 6 Thursday, June 24, 7:00 pm
Draw 8 Friday, June 25, 2:00 pm
Draw 11 Saturday, June 26, 2:00 pm
Playoffs
Semifinals Sunday, June 27, 2:00 pm
Third place game Monday, June 28, 11:00 am
Final Monday, June 28, 9:00 pm
Round 2 The second round of the championship was held from June 30 to July 3. As Round 1 champions Kim Eun-jung won the round, no third round was needed.
Round robin standings Final Round Robin Standings KeyNational TeamTeams to Second Place Game
Team Skip W L Gangneung City Hall Kim Eun-jung 5 1 38.1 Chuncheon City Hall Kim Min-ji 4 2 32.3 Gyeonggi Province Gim Un-chi 3 3 39.1 Songhyun High School A Kim Ji-su 0 6 34.4
Round-robin results All draw times are listed in Korean Standard Time (UTC+09:00).
Draw 1 Wednesday, June 30, 10:00 am
Draw 2 Wednesday, June 30, 7:00 pm
Draw 3 Thursday, July 1, 10:00 am
Draw 4 Thursday, July 1, 7:00 pm
Draw 5 Friday, July 2, 10:00 am
Draw 6 Friday, July 2, 7:00 pm
Playoffs
Second place game Saturday, July 3, 2:00 pm
Final standings PlaceTeamSkip Gangneung City Hall Kim Eun-jung Chuncheon City Hall Kim Min-ji Gyeonggi Province Gim Un-chi4 Songhyun High School A Kim Ji-su5 Jeonbuk Province Shin Ga-yeong6 Songhyun High School B Kang Bo-bae7 Uiseong Girls High School B Kim Sur-yeong8 Uiseong Girls High School A Lee Eun-chae9 Bongmyeong High School Kim Min-seo10 Sehyeon High School Ban Hee-eun
See also 2021 Korean Mixed Doubles Curling Championship
References
External links Korean Curling Media (@curling1spoon) on Instagram