Youth from Jeju representing the island in a drone soccer competition achieved second place in an international tournament.
Jeju Special Self-Governing Province announced that the Jejuindrone team, comprised of Jeju youth, secured second place in the ‘2024 Singapore Drone Soccer Championship.’
The tournament, held from the 6th to the 7th of last month at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, saw participation from eight teams from countries including South Korea, Singapore, and Thailand.
The Jejuindrone team consisted of six players, including Director Lee Bok-heon, Cha Young-min (Sadae High School, Grade 3), Yoo Si-ho (KIS12), Bae Jung-won (KIS12), Kim Jun-hyuk (Oh-hyun High School, Grade 1), Lee Seung-heon (Sinum Middle School, Grade 3), and Park Jung-hwa (Jocheon Middle School, Grade 3). They were the champions of the 2nd Jeju Cup Drone Soccer Competition held last year.
Drone soccer, in which five players form a team, is a new concept sport utilizing drones. The game involves putting a soccer ball-shaped drone into circular goalposts at a height of 3 meters to determine the winner.
The Jejuindrone team participated in the Class20, using a soccer ball-shaped drone with a diameter of 20cm, and the players were directly involved in all processes from soldering to drone assembly and computer settings.
Lee Bok-heon, director of the Jeju Drone Industry Association who served as the head of the Singapore International Drone Soccer Competition delegation, stated, “Players who have been training together for one and a half to eight years have achieved good results through their efforts, step by step,” adding, “Players who started because they liked drones are discovering the infinite possibilities of drones and pioneering a new future.”
Jeju Governor Oh Young-hun praised them, saying, “It is even more meaningful that the talents who won the Jeju Cup Drone Soccer Competition achieved good results in an international competition,” and expressed his commitment to collaborate closely with relevant companies and private associations to further activate and develop the drone industry in Jeju.
Meanwhile, Jeju Province is striving to discover drone validation and commercialization services, including being selected as a 2024 drone validation city by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, designating the largest drone special economic zone in the country, and selecting excellent local governments.
Source: News Jeju, updated on March 8, 2024