Korean dancer wins grand prize at international youth ballet competition

Korean dancer Suh Min-jun, aged 18, won the top prize at the 2026 Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), one of the world's largest student ballet competitions.

Suh, a student at the Royal Ballet School in London, competed in the senior men's solo category and was awarded the grand prix — given to the standout performer across all categories — at the finals held in Houston on Sunday.

He is the sixth Korean dancer to win the grand prize at the competition, following Seo Hee in 2003, Kim Ki-min in 2012, Jun Joon-hyuk in 2016, Park Geon-hee in 2024 and Jeon Min-cheol in 2025. The win also marks the third consecutive year a Korean male dancer has taken the top prize.

Other Korean dancers also performed strongly. Kim Min-jin and Koo Seong-mo won first place in the senior pas de deux category, Jeong A-ra took first in the senior women's solo category, and Son Min-gyun finished second in the senior men's solo category.

Founded in 2000, the YAGP is a New York-based nonprofit dance education organization whose competitions are open to dancers between the ages of 9 and 20. This year's competition drew more than 15,000 participants worldwide, with around 2,000 dancers from 36 countries advancing to the finals after regional qualifying rounds.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

BY HA NAM-HYUN. [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]