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Mind really matters: Sports psychiatrist who guided athletes to Paris medals readies for World Cup

Published: 22 Oct. 2025, 14:10 Updated: 23 Oct. 2025, 08:41

Dr. Han Doug-hyun, a specialist in sports psychiatry at Chung-Ang University Hospital, is seen at the Korean men's football team's friendly against the United States on Sept. 7. [KOREA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION]

Korea went to the 2024 Paris Olympics chasing five golds and came home with 13 — thanks in no small part to a doctor who treated the mind as seriously as the body.

The modest goal was set by the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee, but unexpected triumphs in sports like shooting turned the Games into a medal bonanza: Korea won 13 gold, nine silver and 10 bronze medals, finishing eighth overall by gold count.

A key but little-known figure behind the success was psychiatrist Dr. Han Doug-hyun of Chung-Ang University Hospital, a specialist in sports psychiatry. He provided mental conditioning support to athletes in shooting, sabre fencing, badminton, swimming and judo. From those events alone, Korea took home six gold, eight silver and three bronze medals.

Shooting in particular made history. Initially expected to win one gold, two silver and three bronze medals, the team secured three gold and three silver medals — Korea’s best-ever Olympic performance in the sport. Fencing also stood out: While Korea left épée and foil empty-handed, sabre, where Han offered psychological counseling, delivered two gold and one silver.

When asked about how many medals his work had brought, Han smiled and declined to give numbers. “I can’t say that,” he replied. “But I certainly helped a lot.”

His own success lies in the athletes' initiatives, according to the doctor.

Dr. Han Doug-hyun, a professor of psychiatry and specialist in sports psychiatry at Chung-Ang University Hospital, at Chung-Ang University Hospital in Dongjak District, southern Seoul, on July 10, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

“Three months before the Olympics, I started going to the Jincheon training center once or twice a week,” he said. “I didn’t expect the athletes to come forward so readily, but they did. Normally, it takes three years to build trust for mental coaching to work. But once some athletes I had counseled began performing better in international competitions, others started coming to me. I was lucky."

Now, Han has joined Korea's football squad as a sports psychology coach, aiming to bring his expertise to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The Korea Football Association formally approached him in August, and he traveled with the team on its September tour to face the United States and Mexico.

It is the first time a medical psychiatrist has been recruited to the men's national team’s coaching staff. The only precedent came at the 2015 Women’s World Cup, when a sports psychology professor joined the squad.

There is a difference between sports psychiatry and sports psychology, according to Han.

“Sports psychiatry is based on medicine with psychology built on top, while sports psychology starts with psychology and then adds biology,” he said. “I think the approach is a little different.”

The Korean men's sabre fencing team waves upon winning the gold medal in the finals of the 2024 Paris Olympic fencing sabre match at the Grand Palais in Paris on July 31, 2024. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Han first joined the men's team at the East Asian Cup in July.

“At that time, I just observed,” he recalled. “This time, I spoke with all 28 players for 20 to 30 minutes each, walking with them during recovery sessions and chatting during physical training.”

Han also wears the same training gear as the coaching staff to embody manager Hong Myung-bo’s principle of being "one team."

But is sports psychiatry really effective? Han, who has dedicated more than 20 years to the field, said its role is often misunderstood.

“The goal isn’t to create super-humans,” he said. “It’s to ensure athletes can perform in line with their talent and training. It’s not magic. You can’t take a round-of-16 team and push them to the semifinals by sheer willpower.”

Han is strict about confidentiality, declining to share details of his counseling even with coaches.

Dr. Han Doug-hyun, a professor of psychiatry and specialist in sports psychiatry at Chung-Ang University Hospital, at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on July 28, 2024. [JOONGANG ILBO]

"I only give opinions on whether a player is fit to play the next match or not," he explained. "Just as orthopedic surgeons don’t reveal every detail about cartilage, I think mental issues should also stay confidential."

He did share one anonymized case, with permission. A golfer consistently collapsed in the final round, falling from the top 10 to near 100th place.

“After counseling, he admitted he didn’t know why he played golf anymore — his family took all his earnings, leaving him with just 1 million won [$713] for expenses,” said Han. “His unconscious aggression — ‘what’s the point of winning?’ — was the problem. Once he became independent and redefined his goals, his results improved.”

The national football team has faced tensions, including a clash between Son Heung-min and midfielder Lee Kang-in at the Asian Cup last year. Han dismissed concerns.

“I worried too, but that was an old-fashioned reaction,” he said. “Players these days think, ‘the outside world makes a bigger fuss than we do.’”

Looking ahead, Han said his priority is to support Hong’s “one team” vision. He sees the squad as divided into three groups by age and role — veterans like Son, mid-career players like defender Kim Min-jae and younger stars like Lee.

Son Heung-min and other players of the Korean national men's football team thank the crowd after a 2-2 draw between Korea and Mexico at Geodis Park in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sept. 10. [YONHAP]

“My job is to help each group play to its strengths while blending into one team,” he said. “The individuality that got them to the national team should not be erased. My role is to let it shine.”

Han also supports the manager against external criticism. When Hong was appointed to succeed Jürgen Klinsmann, he faced harsh criticism due to questions about fairness.

“The very fact that he is still here shows how strong his mentality is,” Han said. “I tell him, ‘If we really can’t do it, then we’ll leave. Until then, don’t let outside pressure shake you.’”

For everyday people nervous about job interviews or presentations, he offered similar advice.

“People fail because they focus only on results, not the process,” said Han. “During the Olympics, I told athletes, ‘Stay in the process, not the outcome.’ Coach Hong’s advice to ‘enjoy the game’ means the same thing. At the World Cup, the players should enjoy the process, and the fans can enjoy the results.”

Han, who trained at Harvard Medical School's Center for Brain Science and Boston University's sports psychology program, has worked with professional teams including football clubs like Suwon Samsung Bluewings, FC Seoul and the LG Twins baseball team. The son of two doctors and once a junior tennis player himself, he always intended to link medicine with sport.

“When I entered middle school, I chose academics over tennis,” Han recalled. “When I entered medical school, I decided to pursue a career in sports medicine, whether it was orthopedics or psychiatry.”

“When I was training in the United States, I went to the Baltimore Orioles, an MLB team,” he said. “There were three desks in one room: one for a dermatologist, one for an orthopedic surgeon and one for a psychiatrist. That was the moment I became convinced of the potential of sports psychiatry.”

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 LEE HAY-JUNE [[email protected]]