WavePoolMag’s fascination with South Korean surf tank Wave Park runs deep. On site we discovered a dedicated crew of local surfers, employees, fans and upcoming pros. To our Western senses the entire facility is a Disney-esque fever dream where core surf meets K-Pop. (Yes, they even have their own theme song and mascot.) And we love it. So learning of this month’s wave pool contest, we reached out to reps at the 56-module Wavegarden Cove surf park for a full report…
Korean and Japanese national surfers met on May 18 at Wave Park in Siheung for the SAWAKAMI Asia Challenge, a wave pool contest in Korea marking 60 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Event Details and Collaboration
The event was co-hosted by the Korea Surf League (KSL) and Japan’s S-League. Organizers described it as a private-sector sports initiative designed to promote international exchange. KSL stated that the contest aimed to improve regional ties while encouraging growth in surf-related tourism. It also offered a platform for cultural cooperation outside official diplomatic channels.
In the Women’s division, Kana Nakashio of Japan took the win while Korea’s Soo-jeong Lim represented the local contingent with a fourth place showing.
In the men’s Kei Kobayashi took a solid win. Wave Park sponsored super grom Kanoa Palmiano finished in third. See below for full results.
WINNER : KANA NAKASHIO
2nd : KOKONA KAWASE
3rd : HINANO SHIMIZU
4th : SOO-JEONG LIM
WINNER : KEI KOBAYASHI
2nd : REO INABA
3rd : ΚΑΝΟΑ ΡALΜΙAΝΟ
4th : YUJI NISHI
Ceremony and Symbolic Ride
Japanese Ambassador Koichi Mizushima began the event with a ceremonial “First Ride.” This act, similar to baseball’s first pitch, involved the ambassador riding the first wave of the day. The contest streamed live on Korean and Japanese YouTube channels.
Several officials attended the opening ceremony. Among them were Siheung Mayor Lim Byeong-taek, former Ambassador to Japan Lee Jun-gyu, and Kim Na-mi, Secretary General of the Korea Sports Council.
KSL CEO Song Min, who also hosted the livestream, was happy with the way the event turned out.
“(It’s) a new diplomatic model created by the private sectors of Korea and Japan together,” said Min. He added that organizers plan to develop the contest into an “New Asian surfing tour,” with stops in Korea, Japan, and Indonesia.
This wave pool contest in Korea highlights a growing regional trend in artificial surfing competitions. It also reflects a shift toward private-sector collaboration in public diplomacy.
