Team Korea Prepares for 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games: A Look Back at 18 Attempts

The 2026 Asian Games, held in Japan for the first time in 32 years, are set to begin in 10 days. South Korea, which narrowly missed out on second place by just one gold medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Games, is aiming for 40 to 45 gold medals and to maintain its goal of finishing third overall at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

Since its debut at the 1954 Manila Games, South Korea has participated in 18 Asian Games. While it has never finished first overall, it has placed in the top three in 16 of those events, achieving second place nine times and third place seven times.

The first second-place finish came at the 1966 Bangkok Games, where South Korea secured 12 gold medals. It repeated this feat four years later in the same city, finishing with 18 golds. This was followed by additional second-place finishes in 1986 Seoul, 1990 Beijing, 1998 Bangkok, 2002 Busan, 2006 Doha, 2010 Guangzhou, and 2014 Incheon, totaling nine second-place finishes.

Third-place finishes occurred in the inaugural 1954 Manila Games, 1958 Tokyo, 1978 Bangkok, 1982 New Delhi, and 1994 Hiroshima, as well as in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang and the 2023 Hangzhou Games.

South Korea has only finished outside the top three twice: in 1974 Tehran, where it placed fourth with 16 golds, and in 1962 Jakarta, where it recorded its lowest performance with just four golds.

The closest South Korea came to finishing first overall was at the 1986 Seoul Games, where it won 93 golds, just one behind China, which secured 94. South Korea did, however, lead in total medals with 224, compared to China's 222.

The 1986 Seoul Games also marked a significant achievement in individual sports. South Korean boxers swept all 12 weight classes, and Im Chun-ae won gold in the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m, becoming a three-time champion. However, this success did not carry over to the next event. At the 1994 Hiroshima Games, South Korea won 63 golds but fell to third place, just one gold behind host Japan.

Four years later, at the Bangkok Games, South Korea reclaimed second place with 65 golds, surpassing Japan's 52. This achievement came after the 1997 financial crisis, which led to the dissolution of several professional teams. The 2002 Busan Games set a new record for South Korea, which won a total of 260 medals (96 gold, 80 silver, 84 bronze), the highest in history, maintaining a 52-gold lead over Japan, which secured 44 golds.

At the 2006 Doha Games, South Korea again finished second with 58 golds (totaling 192 medals). Park Tae-hwan, then a high school student, dominated the freestyle events, winning gold in the 200m, 400m, and 1500m, and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Since the MVP award was established in 1998, Park is the only South Korean athlete to receive it.

In the 2010 Guangzhou Games, South Korea won 232 medals (76 gold, 65 silver, 91 bronze), setting a new record for the most golds at an away event. Park Tae-hwan again made history, winning gold in the 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyle, becoming the first male swimmer to achieve back-to-back three-gold performances at the Asian Games.

At the 2014 Incheon Games, South Korea finished second for the fifth consecutive time, winning 79 golds and outpacing Japan by 32 golds. The success of team sports was particularly notable, with the men's soccer team winning gold for the first time since the 1986 Seoul Games and both men's and women's basketball teams claiming gold, a first and only occurrence for South Korean basketball at the Asian Games.

Since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, South Korea's performance has declined. The Korean Sports Council aimed for over 65 golds to secure a sixth consecutive second-place finish but ended up with only 49 golds, 58 silvers, and 70 bronzes, finishing third overall. The target was lowered to 50 golds during the event, but that goal was not met.

This marked the first time since the 1982 New Delhi Games that South Korea failed to win at least 50 golds (28 golds). It also marked the first time since the 1994 Hiroshima Games that South Korea lost second place to Japan. The competition was particularly fierce in foundational sports, with South Korea winning only one gold out of 48 available in athletics and just one out of 41 in swimming. In contrast, Japan secured six golds in athletics and 19 in swimming, achieving its best performance since the 1974 Tehran Games with a total of 75 golds.

The trend continued at the 2023 Hangzhou Games, which were postponed by a year due to COVID-19, where South Korea again finished third, winning 42 golds, 59 silvers, and 89 bronzes, trailing behind China (201 golds) and Japan (52 golds). Although the total medal count increased by 13 from the previous event, the number of golds decreased by seven.

However, there were notable achievements. South Korean swimming set a record with 22 medals (6 gold, 6 silver, 10 bronze), surpassing Japan (5 golds) for the first time. A total of 14 new national records were established during the event, with all six relay events featuring new South Korean records.

Kim Woo-min became a three-time champion, following in the footsteps of Park Tae-hwan from the 2010 Guangzhou Games, while badminton player An Se-young claimed two golds in women's singles and team events, marking the first golds in these categories since the 1994 Hiroshima Games.

The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will take place from September 19 to October 4, spanning 16 days across Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya City, with some events held in Tokyo, Osaka, and Shizuoka. South Korea will send 1,052 athletes and officials to compete in 41 out of 43 sports, excluding cricket and padel, marking the largest number of sports it has ever participated in at the Asian Games.

The Korean Sports Council has set a target of 40 to 45 gold medals and aims to finish third overall. Yoo Seung-min, president of the council, stated at a media day on August 20 at the Jincheon National Training Center, "While the goal is set for third place, I believe we should always aim high. Given that the Asian Games are being held in Japan, our athletes and the council are particularly determined to perform well."

Team leader Lee Sang-hyun expressed optimism, saying, "At Hangzhou, we had more total medals than Japan. I expect Japan to be stronger than ever, but our athletes have the resilience to perform well under pressure. I believe we could achieve results beyond our expectations."

In terms of specific sports, archery aims for five golds, targeting victories in all events, including men's and women's individual and mixed team events. Swimming, which made history in Hangzhou, is aiming for four golds. Badminton, led by An Se-young, is targeting a record three golds.

Baseball and soccer are also looking to set records. The baseball team, managed by Ryu Ji-hyun, aims for its first five consecutive golds and a total of seven golds. The U-23 men's soccer team, coached by Lee Min-seong, is seeking its first four consecutive golds.

Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.