The South Korean men's national table tennis team defeated tough rival Japan to advance to the men's team final of the Asian Championships for the first time in five years.

On the 22nd, the men's team won 3-1 against Japan in the semifinals of the 2026 29th Asian Table Tennis Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

This marks the first time in five years that South Korea has reached the men's team final at this tournament.

At the 2021 tournament, where China did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, South Korea defeated Taiwan in the final to claim the championship.

South Korean table tennis's advancement to the final is even more meaningful as this men's team was effectively composed as a "B-team," excluding top players like Jang Woo-jin (SeA) and Im Jong-hoon (Korea Exchange) who competed in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

South Korea will play the final against "powerhouse" China, which defeated Taiwan, at 9:45 p.m. today.

South Korea took an early lead when Kang Dong-su (ranked 158th, Samsung Life Insurance), stepping up as the first player, defeated Shinozuka Hiroto (ranked 20th) 3-0.

Although Park Gang-hyun (ranked 46th, Mirae Asset Securities) lost 0-3 to Japan's ace Harimoto Tomokazu (ranked 3rd) in the second singles match, Park Gyu-hyun (ranked 80th, Mirae Asset Securities) reclaimed the lead in the third singles match by defeating current world No. 1 Matsushima Sora 3-0.

Defensive player Kang Dong-su secured South Korea's ticket to the final with a surprising 3-1 victory over Harimoto in the fourth singles match.

Harimoto was completely thrown off by Kang's unpredictable and unorthodox play, frowning throughout the match.

Kang showcased a brilliant performance, not dropping a single point in the third game.

Meanwhile, the women's national team was blocked by China's "Great Wall" in the semifinals, having to settle for a bronze medal.

South Korea fell behind as Lee Da-eun (ranked 133rd, Korea Racing Authority) in the first singles and Park Ga-hyun (ranked 109th, Korean Air) in the second singles lost 0-3 to Kuai Man (ranked 5th) and Wang Yidi (ranked 4th), respectively.

South Korea's defeat was sealed when Lee Eun-hye (ranked 52nd, Korean Air) also lost 2-3 to Chen Yi (ranked 10th) after a full-game battle in the third singles.

The women's national team also competed in this tournament without ace Shin Yu-bin (Korean Air).

(Photo courtesy of Korea Table Tennis Association, Yonhap News)