Lee So-hee and Lee Hae-ran, the ‘young blood’ of Korean women’s basketball who led to the gold medal for the first time in 12 years

(Nagoya = Yonhap News) Reporter Oh Myeong-eon = At ​​the center of Korean women's basketball, which announced a new leap forward by winning the first Asian Games gold medal in 12 years at home in Japan, are the 'young blood' who have made a tremendous leap forward.

The main characters are guard Lee So-hee, born in 2000, and forward Lee Hae-ran, born in 2003, who perfectly filled the void in the national team after leaving Chapo.

The two players, who gained valuable experience and confidence through this tournament, have established themselves as key engines that will continue the momentum of Korean women's basketball in the future.

Lee Hae-ran performed like Altoran throughout the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The 'Great Wall' held by 220cm Zhang Tzuyu scored 22 points and 6 rebounds in the semifinals against China, and in the finals, she scored 24 points and 9 rebounds against Japan, scoring the most points on the team.

However, Lee Hae-ran, whom we met in the common coverage area (mixed zone) after the game, was the first to reflect despite her great performance.

Lee Hae-ran said, "Honestly, I am not satisfied with myself. Through this competition, I realized again that I have many shortcomings," and expressed her strong ambition, saying, "I will continue to run until I am satisfied with myself."

Lee So-hee's presence was also dazzling as she erased the absence of Park Ji-hyun (Los Angeles Sparks), who is the team's key guard and is active in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

Lee So-hee, who scored 23 points (5 3-point shots) and 6 rebounds, the most for both teams in the match against China, dominated the court in the finals as well.

He led the attack with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists, and in particular, at the end of the first half, he completely overpowered Japan by scoring a thunderous 'deep three' from a position three steps away from the 3-point line.

Lee So-hee said, "I was really determined to do my best," and reflected, "I'm the type of person who is easily influenced by the atmosphere, but the flow on the court was good. I think my internal confidence led to good results."

Even before the competition, few people expected them to perform so fiercely.

However, this harsh evaluation actually stimulated the coming of young players.

Lee So-hee said, "Some people have a low opinion of Korea when competing in international competitions, and I was a little angry about that," and added, "The factor in our victory was that we turned that bias into passion and the players worked together and practiced a lot."

Lee Hae-ran looked higher and strengthened her resolve for the Olympics. He clenched his fists, saying, "I will do my best at every moment from now on. Regardless of the medal, I will do my best in every game, so please keep watching."