The Korean women's hockey team failed to secure a medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On October 2, at the Gakumigahara Green Stadium in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, Korea drew 0-0 with Japan in the bronze medal match but lost 4-2 in the shootout.
In hockey shootouts, players start 23 meters from the goal and must score within eight seconds after the referee's whistle. This differs from the penalty shootout format used in soccer.
Korea lost momentum when its first two shooters, Jeong Seong-hee (Pyeongtaek City Hall) and Park Seung-ae (KT), failed to score. Although the third shooter, Ahn Soo-jin (Pyeongtaek City Hall), and the fourth, Lee Yoo-jin (KT), managed to score, they could not overcome Japan, whose first four shooters all found the net.
Korea finished the group stage in second place in Group A with a record of four wins and one loss (12 points) but was eliminated in the semifinals by India, the top team in Group B, with a score of 2-0.
As the most successful nation in Asian Games women's hockey history, with five titles, Korea concluded this tournament in fourth place, marking the first time in eight years that they finished without a medal.
After winning gold at the 2014 Incheon Games, Korea placed fourth at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and earned a silver medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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