The men's handball team returns to the semifinals of the Asian Games after 8 years... break china

The men's handball team returned to the semifinals at the Asian Games for the first time in eight years.

The national team led by coach Cho Young-shin defeated China 32-26 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Kasugai Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan on the 26th.

As a result, the national team advanced to the semifinals for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Games, where it won a bronze medal.

Korea will compete with Qatar, which is attempting to win its fourth consecutive title, to advance to the finals at Inazawa Entrio, Aichi Prefecture, at 5:30 p.m. on the 28th.

Qatar defeated Iran 31-25 in the quarterfinals.

Korea widened the gap early in the first half when the score was 5-5, with Kim Jin-young (Sangmu) scoring a breakaway goal and Jeon Jeon-soo (Incheon Urban Development Corporation) and Yeon Yeon-mo (Hanam City Hall) scoring three goals in a row to run away to 8-5.

Korea, which finished the first half with a 16-12, four-point lead, maintained the gap well and celebrated its advancement to the semifinals by running away with a 30-22 lead at 27-22 about 5 minutes before the end of the second half thanks to two 6m shots from Park Se-woong (SK Hawks) and a 9m goal from Kim Rak-chan (Incheon Urban Development Corporation).

Kim Rak-chan and Park Se-woong led the attack, scoring 6 goals each, while Kim Jin-young and Lee Joseph (Incheon Urban Development Corporation) contributed 5 points each.

◇ Results on the 26th (Aichi Prefecture Kasugai Gymnasium)

▲ Men’s handball quarterfinals

Korea 32(16-12 16-14)26 China