South Korea Defeats Japan in Handball, Sets Sights on LA Olympics

South Korea’s men’s national handball team, led by head coach Cho Young-shin, secured a narrow 27-25 victory over Japan on June 21 at the SK Hawks Arena in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. Following this vital win in the “Super Match,” Coach Cho declared the team’s renewed ambition to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The match carried special significance, as Korea avenged a painful defeat suffered against Japan during the 2023 Asian qualifiers for the Paris Olympics. Building on this win, the team now plans to focus on the 2026 Asian Championship held in January and the Asian Games scheduled for September.

South Korea remains the most decorated nation in Asian Games men’s handball, holding a record five gold medals. However, the team has faced difficulties in recent years, especially with the rise of Middle Eastern teams. The gold medal streak ended after the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, and Korea has not reached a final since 2014 in Incheon. At the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, the squad finished fifth, missing out on a semifinal berth.

Their Olympic performance has also stalled; the team has not qualified for the finals since the 2012 London Olympics. Reflecting on the recent win against Japan, Coach Cho said, “I am happy we managed to beat Japan. The players have been preparing since May, and they demonstrated excellent effort on the court.”

Japan has shown strong progress in Asian and international competitions, earning runner-up finishes and making Olympic appearances. However, on the same day in Poland, South Korea’s U-21 team suffered a heavy 28-35 loss to Japan in the World Junior Championship.

Coach Cho acknowledged, “Japan currently holds the top ranking in Asia,” but he added that the Japanese squad that visited Korea was not their full-strength roster, and likewise, South Korea was also missing key players due to injuries.

Discussing the team’s future, Cho expressed firm resolve: “If we achieve strong results in next year’s Asian Championship and Asian Games, I hope to lead these core members through the LA Olympic qualifiers and finally reach the finals.”

The national team will continue training camps through September, after which the players will return to their clubs to compete in the National Sports Festival and H-League. They will regroup in December for preparations ahead of the January Asian Championship, where injured goalkeeper Kim Dong-wook (Doosan), Park Jae-yong (Hanam City Hall), field player Lee Hyun-sik (SK), and Park Kwang-soon (Hanam City Hall) are expected to return to the squad.

Regarding the U-21 team’s defeat to Japan, Coach Cho noted Japan’s substantial investment in youth development and emphasized the need for South Korea to increase efforts and preparation beginning at the junior level.

Note “This article was translated from the original Korean version using AI assistance, and subsequently edited by a native-speaking journalist.”

Photo = Yonhap News