The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the first summer edition held in Japan in 32 years, is set to begin in 10 days. South Korea, which narrowly missed out on second place by just one gold medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Games, is aiming for 40 to 45 gold medals and to maintain its goal of finishing third overall at this year's event.
Since its debut at the 1954 Manila Games, South Korea has participated in 18 Asian Games. While it has never finished first overall, it has placed in the top three in 16 of those events, achieving second place nine times and third place seven times.
The first second-place finish came at the 1966 Bangkok Games, where South Korea secured 12 gold medals. It repeated this feat four years later in the same city, finishing with 18 golds. This trend continued with additional second-place finishes in 1986 Seoul, 1990 Beijing, 1998 Bangkok, 2002 Busan, 2006 Doha, 2010 Guangzhou, and 2014 Incheon, totaling nine second-place finishes.
Third-place finishes occurred in the inaugural 1954 Manila Games, 1958 Tokyo, 1978 Bangkok, 1982 New Delhi, and 1994 Hiroshima, as well as in the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and the 2023 Hangzhou Games.
South Korea has only finished outside the top three twice: in 1974 Tehran, where it placed fourth with 16 golds, and in 1962 Jakarta, where it recorded its lowest performance with just four golds.
The closest South Korea has come to finishing first overall was at the 1986 Seoul Games, where it won 93 golds, just one behind China, which secured 94. South Korea did, however, lead in total medals with 224, compared to China's 222.
◆ Five Consecutive Second-Place FinishesThe 1986 Seoul Games were notable for South Korea's achievements across various sports. The boxing team swept all 12 weight classes, and Im Chun-ae won gold in the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m, becoming a three-time champion. However, this success did not carry over to the 1994 Hiroshima Games, where South Korea won 63 golds but fell to third place, just one gold behind Japan.
In the 1998 Bangkok Games, South Korea reclaimed second place with 65 golds, surpassing Japan's 52. Following the 1997 financial crisis, which led to the dissolution of several professional teams, South Korea achieved a historic milestone at the 2002 Busan Games, winning a total of 260 medals (96 gold, 80 silver, 84 bronze), the highest in history, a record that still stands. At that time, South Korea had a 52-gold lead over Japan, which won 44 golds.
In the 2006 Doha Games, South Korea maintained second place with 58 golds (192 total medals). Park Tae-hwan, then a high school student, dominated the freestyle events, winning gold in the 200m, 400m, and 1500m, and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player (MVP). Since the MVP award was established in 1998, Park is the only South Korean athlete to have received it.
At the 2010 Guangzhou Games, South Korea set a new record for the most gold medals won at an away event, with 76 golds out of a total of 232 medals. Park Tae-hwan again made history by winning three golds in the 100m, 200m, and 400m freestyle, becoming the first male athlete to achieve back-to-back three-gold performances in Asian Games swimming.
In the 2014 Incheon Games, South Korea finished second for the fifth consecutive time, winning 79 golds, 71 silvers, and 84 bronzes for a total of 234 medals, outpacing Japan by 32 golds. Team sports saw significant success, with the men's soccer team winning gold for the first time in 28 years since the 1986 Seoul Games, and both men's and women's basketball teams claiming gold, a first and only occurrence for South Korean basketball in Asian Games history.
◆ Losing Second Place to Japan: Two Consecutive Third-Place FinishesCopyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.