Led by head coach Isinaye Ramirez, the men's national volleyball team (world No. 26) is stepping up its practical preparations ahead of the 2026 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship and the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which will be held next month.

The national team will undergo its final inspection at the 2026 East Asian Men's Volleyball Championship, which opens tomorrow (the 5th) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

A total of seven teams will participate in the tournament, where International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) world ranking points will be awarded.

In Group B, the South Korean team will play the group stage against Japan (6th), Taiwan (62nd), and Macau (114th).

Having arrived in Ulaanbaatar, the competition venue, on the 3rd, the national team will play its first group match against Japan at 5:30 p.m. (Korea Standard Time) tomorrow (the 5th), followed by matches against Taiwan tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., and Macau the day after at 2:30 p.m.

In Group A, host country Mongolia (132nd), China (35th), and Hong Kong (122nd) will compete.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals on the 8th, and the final will take place at 8:30 p.m. on the 9th.

The national team has been building its teamwork through joint training and practice matches with China in May, the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Challenge Cup in June, and test matches against Brazil in July.

The squad for this tournament features setters Hwang Seung-bin (Hyundai Capital) and Han Tae-jun (Woori Card); outside hitters Jung Han-yong and Lim Jae-young (both Korean Air), Lim Sung-jin (Armed Forces Athletic Corps), and Yoon Seo-jin (KB Insurance); opposite spikers Shin Ho-jin (Hyundai Capital) and Kim Yo-han (Samsung Fire & Marine); middle blockers Park Chang-sung (OK Savings Bank), Kim Jun-woo (Samsung Fire & Marine), Lee Sang-hyeon (Armed Forces Athletic Corps), and Choi Jun-hyuk (Korean Air); and liberos Park Kyung-min (Hyundai Capital) and Kim Young-jun (Woori Card).

The national team's ultimate goals are to finish within the top three at the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship in Fukuoka, Japan, next month and to win a medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The winner of the Asian Men's Volleyball Championship will secure a berth at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while the top three teams will earn tickets to the 2027 FIVB Volleyball Men's World Championship (formerly the World Championship).

(Photo courtesy of the Korea Volleyball Association, Yonhap News)