Jon Dunbar is a copy editor at The Korea Times, as well as editor of the Foreign Community page and curator of the Korea Times Archive. If you have suggestions for possible articles, or wish to contribute articles yourself, contact jdunbar@koreatimes.co.kr.
Korea's No.1 surfer stands up to the task
Kanoa Palmiano rides on the face of a wave in Yangyang, Gangwon Province, in this undated photo. Courtesy of Melvin Palmiano
By Jon Dunbar
By S Latham
At just 15, Kanoa Palmiano of Yangyang, Gangwon Province, is Korea's top-ranked male surfer.
Last month, the junior pro competed for South Korea, his country of birth, at the 2023 International Surfing Association (ISA) World Surfing Games in El Salvador as the national team's youngest-ever competitor. Having tasted the thrill of surfing and success, the challenges of adolescence and elite athleticism remain on the horizon for the young gun, including navigating military duty.
During the competition, Kanoa competed against one of his heroes, world No. 2 Griffin Colapinto of the U.S. “It was fun because he's so good that I didn't have much pressure competing,” he later told ISA Surf. “I just tried my best to surf.”
The Korean team, comprising Yang Jin-hyuk of Jeju Island, 16-year-old Yun Do-hoon and Su Jae-hee who competed in the women's section, came away with its best results since it began competing in the ISA competition in 2017, when it was held in Biarritz, France.
Kanoa Palmiano, left, poses with one of his heroes, world No.2 Griffin Colapinto of the U.S., after the two competed in a heat at the 2023 Surf City El Salvador ISA World Surfing Games in La Bocana, El Salvador, June 1. Courtesy of Pablo Franco, ISA
Only recently has South Korea taken to surfing. Its history traces back just two or three decades, when foreign nationals in Korea and Koreans who had traveled to places like Australia picked up the culture and ran with it to the ocean beaches of Busan and elsewhere. Melvin Palmiano, Kanoa's Filipino Canadian father, was one of those early pioneers exploring secret swells around Korea's east coast during the sport's infancy here.
In little more than a decade, surfing and beach culture in Korea have bloomed. But the country's surfing potential is still vastly unrecognized under the shadows of giant surfing nations like the U.S., Australia and Brazil.
Kanoa learned to surf from an early age, spending almost every day in the ocean waters near his hometown of Gangneung on the east coast of Korea. At just 3, he caught his first wave on a stand-up paddle board, with help from his father. A stint with his family living on Siargao Island in the Philippines finally got Kanoa hooked on the sport.
Melvin has a keen memory of those years. “We just did things because they were fun,” he says. “Being at the beach and in the water was fun. Catching small waves was fun. We got him involved in surfing because it was fun.”
Since then, Kanoa has been winning surfing contests and traveling internationally to compete, participating in the Men's World Surf League Qualifying Series events and WSL Junior Pro events. Last year he won the inaugural Wave Park Surf League shortboard competition for men in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. This year, the world-class wave pool has taken on Kanoa as one of its sponsored athletes.
“He is very serious about his opportunity to be a professional surfer,” Melvin says. “He has sacrificed a lot to pursue it. He hasn't had your standard Korean childhood. His life revolves primarily around surfing, training and completing his homeschool assignments.”
Kanoa's success is due in large part to the support of his family, including his Korean mother and younger sister. “My wife and I have always tried to guide our kids in meaningful ways,” says Melvin, who moved to Korea during the 2002 World Cup. “So that means a healthy balance of knowing when to push and pull them. In the end, it's their life, not ours.”
The Palmiano team is in the second year of a four-year plan aiming to further improve and develop Kanoa into a world-class competitor. While he has three years to prepare for the massive opportunity that beckons at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, Kanoa and his family will have to contend with a very different challenge ― impending military service.
If Kanoa were to win gold at the Asian Games, he could be exempted from the compulsory 18 months of military service that all South Korean males must undertake. “This could lead to the opportunity to train more and focus on the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles,” Melvin says.
“I think if he stays focused on his goals and works hard, his prospect of becoming a men's professional is quite good. His coach, Brad Gerlach, thinks he can make it on the Championship Tour if he continues to work hard and stay disciplined. Brad was a former professional surfer, who at one time during his career was the No. 2-ranked surfer in the world.”
But the Palmiano family is taking it one wave at a time. Right now, they are focusing on helping Kanoa become one of the best juniors in the region. “Like Kanoa, there's another very talented 15-year-old surfer from Jeju Island named Yoon Kyeom,” Palmiano says. “In my opinion, these two are currently the best surfers to ever come from South Korea.”
Where the waves take Kanoa remains to be seen. But as a young man, the world awaits.
“I actually wanted Kanoa to be an architect,” Melvin says. “Maybe it can still happen if this surfing thing doesn't work out.”