2025 Korea Open

Last Updated on September 28, 2025

The 2025 Korea Open, also known as the Suwon Victor Korea Open 2025 for sponsorship reasons, was a badminton tournament held at the Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon, South Korea, from September 23 to September 28, 2025. It was the 32nd edition of the Korea Open championships, and part of the BWF World Tour Super 500 tournaments on the 2025 BWF World Tour. This event featured a total prize fund of US$475,000.¹“2025 Korea Open Prospectus”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved 1 July 2025.

Champions

Highlights

New Water Policy

The 2025 Korea Open was not only set to showcase world-class badminton but also a renewed commitment to sustainability. Tournament organizers announced a new initiative aimed at reducing plastic waste and promoting environmentally responsible practices throughout the event.

Starting that year, disposable PET bottled water was no longer supplied to players and officials. Instead, every participant received a reusable sports water bottle upon arrival. In support of this shift, large water dispensers were placed across the venue — including the competition hall, practice courts and warm-up areas — to make it simple for players, staff and volunteers to refill their bottles whenever needed.

While the tournament did not hand out 500ml plastic water bottles as in past editions, there were no restrictions on bringing or purchasing other beverages inside the venue. Participants and spectators could still buy drinks of their choice on site or bring their own bottles from other brands.

Organizers clarified that the change was driven purely by environmental sustainability goals and was not connected to the promotion of any beverage company. They called on everyone involved — from athletes to coaches and spectators — to actively support the new system and help reduce the event’s ecological footprint.

By taking these steps, the 2025 Korea Open aimed to lead by example in the sporting world, showing that a premier international badminton tournament could deliver high-level competition while also caring for the planet.

Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan Reunite

Olympic champions Chen Qingchen and Jia Yifan were back together on court at the 2025 Korea Open, rekindling one of badminton’s most successful partnerships. The four-time world champions, who had claimed gold at the Paris 2024 Games, had mostly gone their separate ways since their Olympic triumph but returned as fifth seeds in Suwon.

Their appearances as a pair had been rare over the past year. After earning an automatic berth at the BWF World Tour Finals the previous December, the duo also played together at the 2025 Badminton Asia Championships and made a brief showing at the BWF Sudirman Cup Finals, where they contested only one match.

In the interim, Jia had forged a winning partnership with Zhang Shuxian, capturing the China Masters title the previous Sunday. Chen had endured a quieter spell, unable to replicate that level of success alongside Wang Tingge or Keng Shuliang.

The Korea Open raised the question of whether the two stars could recapture their past dominance. Winners of this tournament two years earlier, Chen and Jia opened their campaign against Hsu Ya-ching and Sung Yu-hsuan, with a possible quarter-final meeting against Japan’s Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto.

The draw itself was wide open. With several top combinations absent, Japan’s Rin Iwanaga and Kie Nakanishi had been installed as top seeds, while Kim Hye-jeong and Kong Hee-yong — runners-up at the China Masters — were seeded second. All eyes were on whether Chen and Jia could turn their reunion into another memorable chapter in their storied careers.

2024 Champions

All of last year’s Korea Open title holders were set to return for the new edition, except in the women’s doubles category. Jeong Na-eun, who lifted the trophy alongside Kim Hye-jeong last season, was entered this time with Lee Yeon-woo, while Kim paired up with Kong Hee-yong.

Meanwhile, Korea’s reigning Olympic women’s singles champion An Se-young headed the field as the top seed, and the country’s men’s doubles world champions, Kim Won-ho and Seo Seung-jae, were also slated to play in front of a home crowd as top seeds — setting the stage for a particularly exciting tournament.²“2025 Korea Open Draws”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved 18 September 2025.

Tournament Links

Schedule

All times are local, Korea Standard Time (UTC+9).

TV Broadcast Schedule

Televised coverage for this event is limited to Court 1, typically airing on the final four days of competition. For complete access to all matches from all courts, the BWF TV YouTube channel offers live streaming from the tournament’s opening day. Here’s a detailed broadcast schedule:

Prize Money

The total prize money for this year’s edition of Korea Open is US$475,000. Here’s the prize breakdown:

Notable Withdrawals

• Men’s Singles: Li Shifeng (China)
• Women’s Singles: Sim Yu-jin (South Korea)
• Men’s Doubles: Ong Yew Sin/Teo Ee Yi (Malaysia)
• Women’s Doubles: Li Yijing/Luo Xumin (China)
• Mixed Doubles: Chen Tang Jie/Toh Ee Wei (Malaysia)

Korea Open Status on BWF World Tour

References

• 1
  “2025 Korea Open Prospectus”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
• 2
  “2025 Korea Open Draws”. BWF Corporate. Retrieved 18 September 2025.