Baseball player Ha Hyun-seung and basketball player Yoon Ji-won, both former recipients of the Future Star Award, have been honored with the Star Award for the first time in a year. A total of 10 promising athletes across seven sports received the award (Comprehensive Report).

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Baseball player Ha Hyun-seung (Busan High School, 3rd year; Kiwoom Heroes, 1st round pick) and basketball player Yoon Ji-won (Gyeongbok High School, 3rd year) were honored with the "Star Award" at the Futures Star Awards.

Ha Hyun-seung and Yoon Ji-won each received the Grand Prize at the 2026 Futures Star Awards ceremony held on the 26th at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul.

They had both received the "Future Star Award" last year, adding further significance to their achievement of winning the Grand Star Award just one year later. Each recipient of the Grand Star Award was presented with a prize of 3 million won.

In baseball, Lee Ho-min (Grade 12, Gyeongnam High School; KIA Tigers first-round pick) and in soccer, An Ju-wan (Grade 11, Sinpyeong High School; Seoul E-Land) and Jung Hyeon-ung (Grade 12, Osan High School; FC Seoul), along with basketball player Yoon Ji-hoon (Grade 12, Gyeongbok High School), golfer Yang Yun-seo (Grade 12, Incheon Girls' High School Affiliated Broadcasting and Correspondence High School), and skateboarder Kang Jun-i (18; Yeongdeungpo High School) received Star Awards.

Volleyball player Son Seo-yeon (Seonmyeong Girls' High School, 1st year) and gymnast Hwang Seo-hyun (Incheon Technical High School, 3rd year) were each awarded the "Future Star Award." The recipients of the Star Award and the Future Star Award received a prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won.

The Futures Star Awards, hosted and organized by StarNews with support from the Korea Sports & Olympic Committee, the National Sport Promotion Foundation, the Korea Baseball & Softball Federation, the Korea Basketball Association, the Korea Volleyball Federation, and Korea Sports Leisure Co., Ltd., were established in 2022 to contribute to the development of Korean sports and the revitalization of amateur athletics. The ceremony, marking its fifth edition this year, was attended by approximately 60 people, including award recipients, officials from sport-specific associations, federations, and clubs, as well as members of the selection committee.

Ha Hyun-seung, who received the prestigious Grand Prize, delivered a remarkable performance on the high school baseball field this year, excelling both as a pitcher and a hitter. On the mound, he appeared in 14 games, recording four wins and an ERA of 0.39. In 45⅔ innings pitched, he allowed only 11 walks while striking out a whopping 77 batters. At the plate, he played in 24 games, posting a .383 batting average (31 hits in 81 at-bats out of 104 plate appearances), three home runs, 21 RBIs, and 14 walks, while marking an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.088 with his powerful hitting.

Given this potential, he was selected with the first overall pick in the 2027 KBO Rookie Draft on the 7th by the Kiwoom Heroes of professional baseball. His signing bonus is a whopping 1.6 billion won, setting a new all-time record for the highest rookie contract amount in the 45th-year history of the KBO League.

Another recipient, Yoon Ji-won, is regarded as a key figure who led the Gyeongbok High School basketball team to its golden era this year. Gyeongbok High School won four championships this year, including at the 63rd Spring National Men's and Women's Middle and High School Basketball League Haenam Tournament, with Yoon cited as the most prominent star of that success.

Yoon Ji-won, in particular, delivered a double-double performance with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists against Yongsan High School in the final of the Autumn Inter-University League held last September. Her versatility, characterized by well-rounded scoring, rebounding, and passing abilities, is cited as her greatest strength.

The recipients of the Star Award and the Future Star Award also took the stage to receive their honors on that day.

Star player award in the baseball category was also presented to elite infielder Lee Ho-min. Playing for Gyeongnam High School this year, Lee appeared in 20 games and posted a .420 batting average (29 hits in 86 at-bats), two home runs, 19 RBIs, eight walks, and an OPS of 1.132. He was evaluated as "an immediately usable infielder who stands out for his power production capability, based on a stable hitting mechanism, strong impact, and excellent punch power." The evaluation further noted that he possesses basic fielding ability and "could unleash extremely high potential in both offense and defense if his throwing accuracy improves in the future."

In soccer, An Ju-wan and Jung Hyeon-ung, who are already competing in the professional K League, have won the Star Award.

An Ju-wan, a supernova born in 2009, is a promising player who has been consecutively breaking various youngest-ever records in the K League since his debut season. He made a dazzling entrance by setting the record for the "youngest appearance" in K League history (16 years, 11 months, and 7 days) last March. In July, he broke the "youngest goal scorer" record, and in September, during an away match in Cheongju, Chungbuk Province, he even scored a "youngest multi-goal." Based on these performances, he has also secured the title of "youngest Round MVP in K League 2 history," earning recognition as a major talent who will lead the future of Korean football.

Jung Hyeon-woong is a winger from Osan High School, the Seoul Under-18 (U18) youth team, who has been praised for dominating the high school stage with his explosive speed and dribbling skills. This year, he scored 10 goals to lead his team to victory in the Baekun Cup National High School Football Tournament. He also recorded 10 goals and 4 assists in the first-half league of the K League Junior, securing both a win in the A division and the MVP award. As a result, he signed a semi-professional contract with FC Seoul on the 8th, moving directly to the professional stage. After representing the Under-17 (U17) national team, he was recently included in the training roster for the Under-20 (U20) national team, aiming squarely at participating in next year's FIFA U20 World Cup.

Yoon Ji-hoon, who received the Star Award in the basketball category, served as a key player for the Gyeongbok High School basketball team alongside Grand Prize winner Yoon Ji-won. In June, he competed in the "NBA Rising Stars Invitational 2026," an event hosted by the National Basketball Association (NBA) for promising high school players from the Asia-Pacific region, and led Gyeongbok High School to victory. He recorded a triple-double with 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in the final to secure the championship. He has also continued his activities as a representative player at events such as the 2026 International Basketball Federation (FIBA) U18 Asia Cup held in India.

Yang Yoon-seo, a student at the Incheon Girls' High School Affiliated Broadcasting and Open High School, was honored with the Star Award in the golf category. Yang has already been active as a national team member, achieving the first-ever victory for a Korean player at the Asia-Pacific Women's Amateur Championship (WAAP) held in Pyongyang in February, and also claimed the top spot at the Club D Amateur Eco Championship held in June. She demonstrated clear competitiveness even when competing against professional seniors. She finished first among amateurs in all three regular tour events, including a tie for fourth place at the Hana Financial Group Championship on the Korea Ladies Professional Golf Association (KLPGA) Tour and winning the Best Amateur Award, and she also competed as an invited player on the Ladies European Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, confirming her potential.

Kang Jun-ee, a gold medalist in skateboarding at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (3rd year student at Yeongdeungpo High School; Korea Roller Sports Federation), also received the Star Award. At the previous Asian Games, he consecutively defeated Japanese competitors to claim the top spot, becoming the first Korean skater to win an Asian Games gold medal since skateboarding was adopted as an official event in 2018. In particular, after failing twice in the final, he attempted the same high-difficulty trick on his last try and ultimately secured victory, delivering great emotion to the nation.

Volleyball player Son Seo-yeon received the Future Star Award. Standing at 181 cm, the outside hitter has already been making waves on both Asian and global stages since last year. Active as a core member of age-group national teams at a young age, she has earned the moniker "the second Kim Yeon-koung." This year, her first year in high school, she contributed to Sunmyeong Girls' High School's victory in the girls' high school division at the National Middle and High School Spring Volleyball League. She also performed brilliantly at the 2026 International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) U-17 Women's World Championship held in Chile in August.

Hwang Seo-hyun, the "little giant" standing at 135 cm who won a gold medal in artistic gymnastics at the recent Asian Games, also received the Future Star Award. At the time, Hwang scored 14.700 points in the women's balance beam final in artistic gymnastics to stand atop the podium. It marked the first time in 40 years that Korean gymnastics had reached the top of the Asian Games balance beam event, since Seo Sun-ae at the 1986 Seoul Games. She is also participating in the World Championships currently being held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, alongside Yeo Seo-jung.

Meanwhile, at the ceremony that day, Park Jun-cheol, CEO of StarNews; Kim Dae-nyun, Secretary-General of the Korea Sports Council; Yang Hae-young, President of the Korea Baseball and Softball Association; Han Jun-hee, football commentator; and Oh Han-nam, President of the Korea Volleyball Association, attended and delivered congratulatory remarks. The selection of award recipients was led by former national team manager Kim In-sik, along with Cha Myung-ju, a [position] at the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA), Jung Min-hyuk, head of the scouting team for the Hanwha Eagles, and Kwon Do-young, a manager in the scouting team for the Kiwoom Heroes, who were in charge of the baseball category. In the football category, Han Jun-hee, a commentator for Coupang Play; Son Seung-jun, a full-time coach at the Korea Football Association; Kwon Oh-gyu, technical director of Bucheon FC; and Jung Jae-yoon, scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai, were each in charge.

■ Date and time: October 26, 2026 (Mon), 3 p.m.

■ Venue: 19th Floor Press Conference Room, Korea Press Center (124 Sejong University-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul)

■ Winners and Injured (Total of 10 People)

◇ Baseball

High school senior Ha Hyun-seung (18, Kiwoom Heroes 1st round pick): Prize money of 3 million won

Star Award: Lee Ho-min (Grade 12, Gyeongnam High School; 18 years old; KIA Tigers first-round draft pick): Prize money of 1 million won and a gift certificate worth 1 million won

◇ Soccer

Shinpyeong High School second-year student An Ju-won (17, Seoul E-Land FC): Prize money of 1 million won and a gift certificate worth 1 million won

Star Award: Jung Hyeon-woong (18, FC Seoul), a third-year student at Osan High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Basketball

Yun Ji-won (18), a third-year student at Gyeongbok High School: Prize money of 3 million won

Star Award: Yoon Ji-hoon (18), a third-year student at Gyeongbok High School: prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Volleyball

Son Seo-yeon (16), a first-year student at Seongmyeong Girls' High School: Prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Golf

Star Award: Yang Yoon-seo (18), a third-year student at the Broadcasting and Open High School affiliated with Incheon Girls' High School: prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Skateboard

Star Award: Kang Jun-ee (18), a third-year student at Yeongdeungpo High School: prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

◇ Gymnastics

Hwang Seo-hyun (18), a third-year student at Incheon High School of Physical Education: prize money of 1 million won and gift certificates worth 1 million won

■ Award Selection Committee Members

Former national team manager Kim In-sik (Seon Jeong-wi (Director)), Cha Myung-ju, a staff member of the Korea Baseball and Softball Association (KBSA) (Gi Ryeok-hyang-sang (Chairman)), Chung Min-hyuk, head of the scouting team for the Hanwha Eagles, and Kwon Do-young, section chief of the scouting team for the Kiwoom Heroes.

Han Jun-hee, commentator for Coupang Play; Son Seung-jun, full-time coach at the Korea Football Association; Kwon Oh-gyu, technical director of Bucheon FC; and Jung Jae-yoon, scout for Jeonbuk Hyundai.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original