After his team lost to Germany in Wednesday's bronze medal match for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic men's team table tennis, South Korean Jeoung Young-sik found himself on the wrong end of history.

The loss meant South Korea had failed to win a table tennis medal for the first time since the sport was introduced to the Olympics in 1988.

While it's not entirely Jeoung's fault that South Korea is leaving Rio empty-handed, the 26-year-old said he wants to atone for the missed opportunity at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"It's disappointing to be part of the team that didn't win a medal," Jeoung said. "And I am determined to make up for it at the next Olympics."

It's actually thanks to Jeoung that South Korea went this far in the tournament. The first-time Olympian also impressed in the semifinals loss to China, where he pushed world No. 4 Zhang Jike to the limits before losing in five games.

Against Germany, he defeated Bastian Steger 3-2 (12-10. 6-11, 11-6, 6-11, 13-11) in the first singles. He and his doubles partner, Lee Sang-su, came within two points of beating Steger and Timo Boll in the doubles, but the German veterans rallied to take the match and swing the momentum in Germany's favor.

Jeoung said the doubles defeat will gnaw at him, but he still takes away some valuable lessons from Rio.

"I think I saw hope that we could one day beat China if we captialize on our opportunities," he said. "In Tokyo, I want to be the leader of the team."

Lee, 24, may join Jeoung for their second Olympics in four years' time. The two represent a new generation of promising players for a country that for years had relied on aging veterans.

Lee came down hard on himself, saying he simply should have played better.

"I don't think I played all that well overall," he said. "I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but if I do qualify for the next Olympics, I know I can't afford to play like this. I must become more consistent and develop mental toughness."

Jeoung also spoke of the need to keep his emotions in check in high-pressure situations. In his round-of-16 singles match against Ma Long, the world No. 1 from China, Jeoung took the first two games. Then he got too carried away by the prospect of upsetting the best player in the world, and promptly dropped the next four games.

In the team competition, Jeoung said he was in better control of himself, in both wins and losses. Where Lee thinks he has work on his mental game, Jeoung said he needs to improve his physical skills.

"I have to develop more strength," he said. "And I am not especially a fast player. I need to work on improving my speed." (Yonhap)