South Korea at Asian Games 2026: Squads & Medal Contenders
South Korea has finished 3rd overall at the last two Asian Games and is chasing a return to the podium’s upper tier in Aichi-Nagoya. Here’s what’s confirmed so far about Korea’s 2026 squads sport-by-sport and the athletes carrying its medal hopes.
South Korea’s Asian Games Track Record
Korea has finished 3rd overall at each of the last two editions, behind China and Japan. Its gold count dipped slightly from 2018 to 2023, but its silver and bronze counts both rose, pushing its total medal count up to 190.
| Edition | Rank | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 Jakarta-Palembang | 3rd | 49 | 58 | 70 | 177 |
| 2022/23 Hangzhou | 3rd | 42 | 59 | 89 | 190 |
Source: South Korea at the 2018 Asian Games and South Korea at the 2022 Asian Games, Wikipedia (compiled from official OCA results).
South Korea’s Strongest Sports
Korea’s medal program leans on fencing, cycling, judo, taekwondo and shooting, with both the men’s and women’s football teams also winning gold at Hangzhou 2023, the men’s team beating rivals Japan 2-1 in the final.
| Sport | 2018 Medals (G-S-B) |
|---|---|
| Fencing | 15 (6-3-6) |
| Cycling | 13 (6-3-4) |
| Judo | 13 (4-6-3) |
| Taekwondo | 12 (5-5-2) |
| Shooting | 12 |
Note: 2018 figures shown; football (men’s and women’s gold) was a standout 2022/23 storyline not reflected in this table.
South Korea’s Official Squads by Sport
Korean national federations and the Korean Sport & Olympic Committee have published detailed 2026 rosters across most sports. Below is what we’ve confirmed, organized by how solid the sourcing is.
Confirmed via official federation/media sources
| Sport | Key Named Athletes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Baseball | 24-man roster incl. Kim Young-woo, Kim Jin-wook; manager Ryu Ji-hyun | Confirmed |
| Football (Men’s) | 23-man squad incl. Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Park Seung-soo (Newcastle), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic) | Confirmed |
| Football (Women’s) | 23-woman squad incl. Ji So-yeon, Jung Min-young, Kim Hye-ri | Confirmed |
| Badminton | 20-player entry incl. world No.1 An Se-young, Seo Seung-jae | Confirmed |
| Judo | 18 judoka incl. Kim Min-jong (Paris 2024 silver), Heo Mi-mi | Confirmed |
| Modern Pentathlon | Jeon Ung-tae (Tokyo 2020 bronze) leads a squad chasing Korea’s first-ever Asiad gold in the sport, plus Seo Chang-wan, Sung Seung-min | Confirmed |
| Golf | Kim Joo-hyung “Tom Kim”, Kim Sung-hyun (men); Park Seo-jin, Kim Gyu-bin (women) | Confirmed |
| Breaking | Kwon Seong-hee, Kim Ye-ri, Kim Heon-woo, Kim Hong-yeol | Confirmed |
| 3×3 Basketball | Men: Koo Min-kyo, Lee Dong-geun. Women: Kim Jung-eun, Song Yoon-ha | Confirmed |
| Shooting | Olympic champions Ban Hyo-jin, Yang Ji-in, Oh Ye-jin, plus veterans So Seung-seob and Lee Bo-na, targeting 5 gold/9 silver/5 bronze | Confirmed |
| Esports (League of Legends) | “Dream team” of Faker, Gumayusi, Keria, and Zeus | Confirmed |
| Taekwondo | Song Da-bin (+67kg), Kang Jae-gwon named; full squad still rolling out | Confirmed |
| Athletics | Woo Sang-hyeok (high jump) won the national trial, pursuing his first Asiad gold; 42 athletes selected overall | Confirmed (partial) |
| Boxing | Jang Dong-hwan and Kim Min-seong named; 9 boxers selected overall | Confirmed (partial) |
Squad size confirmed, individual names not yet fully located by us
| Sport | Notes |
|---|---|
| Fencing | Olympic champions Oh Sang-uk, Do Kyoung-dong, and Park Sang-young are Korea’s headline fencers and were named to Korea’s 2026 Asian Fencing Championships team; a specific Asian Games roster confirmation wasn’t independently located |
| Cycling | 24 track cyclists selected per aggregator sourcing; individual names not yet located |
| Archery | 12 athletes selected; Kang Chae-young and Kim Woo-jin reported as headline picks |
| Swimming / Diving / Water Polo / Artistic Swimming | 52 athletes selected combined; Hwang Sun-woo and Kim Woo-min expected to headline based on recent trial form |
| Wrestling | 18 athletes selected; individual names not yet located |
| Weightlifting | 10 athletes selected; individual names not yet located |
| Karate | 6 athletes selected; individual names not yet located |
| Rowing | 16 athletes selected; individual names not yet located |
| Esports (beyond League of Legends) | 36-person delegation across e-Football, Gran Turismo, fighting games, PUBG Mobile, Honor of Kings, Identity V, and Pokemon Unite; individual rosters not yet located |
Not yet announced / not found in our research
| Sports |
|---|
| Table Tennis, Gymnastics, 5×5 Basketball, Volleyball, Softball, Tennis, Sailing, Canoeing, Equestrian, Handball, Field Hockey, Wushu, Sport Climbing, Skateboarding, Surfing, Squash, Triathlon, Cricket |
Storylines to Watch
Football revenge tour: both Korean football teams enter as defending champions, with the men’s team defending its title after a 2-1 win over host Japan in the 2023 final, a natural rivalry storyline heading into Aichi-Nagoya.
Modern pentathlon breakthrough bid: Korea has never won an Asian Games gold in modern pentathlon; Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Jeon Ung-tae headlines a squad specifically built to end that drought in 2026.
Esports star power: Korea’s League of Legends “dream team” includes Faker, widely regarded as the sport’s greatest player, giving the delegation a genuine global crossover storyline beyond traditional Olympic sports.