Lee Hyun Il named to Korea’s Asian Games roster

34-year-old Lee Hyun Il was among the names announced today by Korea’s Yonhap News Agency as being members of the Korean badminton contingent for next month’s Incheon Asian Games.  Speculation in the Korean press began shortly after the nation’s Thomas Cup quarter-final performance when the Badminton Korea Association announced that it was considering having Lee rejoin the team to boost chances particularly in the men’s team event.  Prior to this move, Lee had only been entering events with no Korean national team participation since coming out of retirement last autumn.

The Korean line-up shows few other surprises although youngster Jeon Hyuk Jin is expected to accompany Lee in men’s singles, while veterans Park Sung Min and Hwang Jong Soo will sit Incheon out.  18-year-old Kim Hyo Min once again gets the nod for women’s singles, along with Canada Open semi-finalist Ko Eun Byul, to back up stars Sung Ji Hyun and Bae Yeon Ju in the women’s team event.