Asian Games 2018: All you need to know about South Korean men's and women's Kabaddi Team

Known as the dark horses of Kabaddi, the South Korean Kabaddi team have always been enthusiastic about the game. They have transpired the game of Kabaddi in their understanding and have made a remarkable impact in international level. Ever since the arrival of Jang Kun Lee in the Pro Kabaddi, many Korean players have taken his outstanding performance as an inspiration.

These players train hard in Busan for almost three-quarter times in a year to evolve their performance and many players like Dong Geon Lee, Dong Gyu Kim, and Young Chang Ko have left a feeling of necessity to their teams. However, the Kabaddi in Korea has still a lot of distance to cover as it is just limited to university and high school curriculum activity.

An official announcement revealed a 12-member men's and women's squad of the South Korean team which will participate in the Asian Games 2018. The selection committee had to make some final changes as the team's dependable left corner all-rounder Jae Min Lee sustained an injury. All-rounder Yong Joo Ok replaced Jae Min Lee who will be marking his return after Kabaddi World Cup 2016.

The South Korean team prepared with the Thailand men's team ahead of Jakarta Asian Games 2018.

South Korean men's team made their first ever arrival in the 2010 Asian Games which comprised the two corners of their team Tae Deok Eom (left) and Seong Ryeol Kim (right) who are still notable players of today. Lack of expertise in the coaching department failed them as they lost both matches against Iran (55-20) and India (37-19). They stood at the 5th position.

However, the team made a fantastic comeback in the 2014 Asian Games as they qualified for the semi-finals which confirmed their bronze medal. They beat Japan (17-14), lost to Iran (41-22) and defeated Malaysia (38-22) in their group stage matches. They couldn't win against India (36-25) in the semi-final. But they depicted their agility and fierce spirit which is adored all over the Kabaddi world.

The South Korean women's team tackling a Bangladeshi player in group stage match of Asian Games 2014.

The women's Kabaddi team, however, have failed to win a single match in Asian Games. In the 2010 Asian Games, the team just got 2 points after Nepal's women's Kabaddi team had announced their withdrawal in the midst of the tournament. They lost against Bangladesh (19-28) and India (47-21) and couldn't qualify for the playoffs. Similarly, the team went on a disappointing outing in 2014 Asian Games as well when the team lost to Bangladesh (30-18) and India (45-26) once again. They've attained 5th position twice and will be looking to uplift their ranks in the upcoming event.

The South Koreans pulled off an epic comeback versus India in KWC 2016 with Jang Kun Lee's 9 points and Young Chang Ko's high 5 with 2 super tackles.

South Korea also participated in all three editions of the World Cup (2004,2007 and 2016). In the 2004 and 2007 World Cup, the team got eliminated in the group stages itself. In the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, they came back strong and became the table toppers of Group A with an unexpected victory over India (32-34). Till now, only South Korea is known to have defeated India in the game of Kabaddi which no team has ever done in the overall history. It shows how South Koreans have adopted this game with deep interest and utmost regard.

Here's the squad of men's and women's team which will look to gain their first ever gold medal in Asian Games 2018:

Men's Squad:

• Jang Kun Lee (C)

• Dong Geon Lee

• Tae Deok Eom

• Yong Joo Ok

• Dong Ju Hong

• Dong Gyu Kim

• Chan Sik Park

• Jae Pil Jo

• Seong Ryeol Kim

• Hyun Il Park

• Gyung Tae Kim

• Young Chang Ko

Women's Squad:

• Dahye Choi

• Hye Min Hong

• Jae Won Im

• Hee Jeong Kim

• Ji Young Kim

• Hyun Jeong Lee

• Mink Yung Pak

• Ji Yi Park

• So Min Shin

• Hyu Na Jo

• Hee Jun Wo

• Yu Ri Yoon