NAGOYA — Lee Woo-seok, who is serving his military duty with the Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps, powered South Korea into the men's basketball final at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
The national team, coached by Nikolajs Mazurs of Latvia, beat Iran 77-51 in the semifinal at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya on Sept. 18. The win puts South Korea within reach of its first Asian Games basketball title in 12 years, since the 2014 Incheon Games.
Lee scored 19 points, including four 3-pointers, and applied heavy defensive pressure. Speaking in the mixed zone after the game, he said: "Since I am currently a soldier, I will win the gold medal as a soldier's duty."
The team has yet to lose at these Games. It has overcome its chronic weakness of fading concentration in second halves, and its outside shooting has come alive on the way to the final.
"We are now in sync to the point where we can predict where each other will move on the court," Lee said. "All the players are being aggressive and committing fully to defense and rebounding, so I think the coach is satisfied."
He added: "Because it is the final, all of us plan to pour everything we have onto the court. How much I score is not important. Every player desperately wants the win, so we will run with everything we have."
Lee Jung-hyun, a former KBL regular-season MVP, also expressed confidence. "Whichever team comes up, we have to beat them to win the gold medal, so rather than worrying about the opponent, I will focus on executing the plays we have prepared," he said. "As the games have gone on, our adjustment to the court and our overall performance have improved. With only one game left in the final, I will play so that we can win it."
Captain Lee Seung-hyun described the mood in the squad. "The younger players follow what their captain says. Our defense today was flawless," he said. Turning to Lee Hyun-jung, who also stood out, he added: "He is young, but he is humble and knows how to lead a team. He is the kind of player who will take over as captain after me."
"Just playing on the national team with such outstanding players is an honor in itself," he said. "For as long as I am given, I will do my best as a national team player."
South Korea will meet longtime rival Japan in the final. Japan overwhelmed China 97-78 in the other semifinal, reaching its first Asian Games final in 64 years, since the 1962 Jakarta Games.
The two teams tip off at 7:40 p.m. on Sept. 20 at the same venue.
