Korea Targets Up to 45 Gold Medals at Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games
Korea will send more than 1,000 athletes and officials across 41 sports to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, with medal hopes stretching from modern pentathlon and swimming to fencing, badminton and archery.
South Korea is preparing a broad medal campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where its delegation will target up to 45 gold medals across a program spanning traditional strengths and emerging contenders.
The Games are scheduled to open Saturday for a 16-day run in Japan, marking the first time in 32 years that the country has hosted the continental event. Organizers will award 469 gold medals in 43 sports. Korea plans to send more than 1,000 athletes and officials to compete in 41 sports.
The first Korean gold could come on Sunday from Seong Seung-min in the women’s modern pentathlon. Seong became the first Korean woman to win a world title in the event at the 2024 World Modern Pentathlon Championships. Later that year, she became the first Asian woman to win an Olympic medal in modern pentathlon at the Paris Games. Her results place her among the delegation’s leading early prospects, though competition outcomes remain uncertain.
Swimming is expected to provide several opportunities from Monday. Kim Woo-min and Hwang Sun-woo are among the central figures in Korea’s plans, with medal hopes in the men’s 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 200-meter freestyle. Additional chances are anticipated later in the week in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke and 400-meter freestyle.
Korea will also look to its established fencing program. Song Se-ra is aiming for gold in both the women’s individual and team epee events, while two-time defending Olympic champion Oh Sang-uk is set to pursue the same double in the men’s individual and team sabre competitions. The fencing schedule runs through the first week of the Games.
The medal picture then widens across shooting and team sports. Korea is expected to contend in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team event. The baseball team is seeking a fifth consecutive Asian Games title when the tournament reaches its final on Sept. 27, the same day the women’s handball gold-medal match is scheduled.
Badminton could add as many as three gold medals on Sept. 29. World champion An Se-young leads the singles challenge, while Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee are among the doubles contenders.
Further opportunities are projected in October in archery, judo, esports, taekwondo and sport climbing. The range of contenders gives Korea multiple routes toward its overall target, but the final total will depend on performances across a tightly packed schedule in Japan.