▲ South Korea players comfort each other after losing 0-3 to Thailand in the women's volleyball bronze medal match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the 22nd. (Photo: Yonhap News)
The South Korean women's national volleyball team (world No. 28) has failed to win a medal for the second consecutive Asian Games.
Led by head coach Cha Sang-hyun, the national team lost 0-3 (20-25, 19-25, 23-25) to Thailand (No. 13) in the bronze medal match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held at Park Arena Komaki in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, today (the 22nd).
Following a loss to Japan (No. 6) yesterday, South Korea failed to overcome the wall of Thailand, the champions of the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, wrapping up the tournament without a medal.
This marks only the third time in history that the South Korean women's volleyball team has finished an Asian Games without a medal, following the 1962 Jakarta Games, a 5th-place finish at the 2006 Doha Games, a 5th-place finish at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, and now a 4th-place finish.
In today's match, the national team took an 8-5 lead early in the first set, but was hindered by questionable calls.
Consecutive overnet and carry foul calls were issued against Kim Da-in, and while head coach Cha Sang-hyun strongly protested, the calls were not overturned.
Afterward, the national team was shaken by the versatile offensive leadership of Thai setter Pornpun Guedpard (known as Pornpun during her V-League career), who previously played in the V-League, and dropped the first set.
In the following second set, unstable receptions became a stumbling block.
Leading 11-9, Yuk Seo-young failed to properly handle the opponent's targeted serve, giving up five consecutive points and allowing a turnaround. The team then failed to block Thailand's sharp slide and quick attacks, losing the second set as well.
The final third set remained a tight contest until the very end.
The national team chased down to a 22-22 tie, looking for a turning point, but Yuk Seo-young's attacks went out of bounds consecutively at the decisive moment, resulting in a disappointing defeat.
In today's match, captain Kang So-hwi fought hard with a team-high 10 points and Lee Da-hyun added 9 points, but they could not prevent the team's defeat.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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