TEAM COMPOSITION

Korea head into the World Grand Prix hoping to improve on the 14th place they posted in 2013, the last time they competed in the event. Ideally they would hope to match or improve on their bronze medal-winning campaign of 1997. 

The team have long been one of the best in Asia and remain a force to be reckoned with in any tournament, but they were consistently one of the best squads in the world for about a decade from the late 1960s. They lost in the semifinal at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, eventually coming fourth, and took the bronze medal at Montreal 1976. They claimed bronze at the 1967 and 1974 World Championships, and also came third in both the 1973 and 1977 World Cups.

They proved they can still compete at the highest level during the London 2012 Olympic Games where they made it all the way to the semifinal before losing to the United States. They were beaten by Japan in the bronze medal match. The Koreans have been a model of consistency at continental level, amassing a multitude of silver and bronze medals over the years at the Asian Championships and Asian Games, though a 1994 success in the latter competition remains their only gold medal in continental competitions to date.

Lee Sungoo is leading Korea’s return to the Grand Prix stage after missing out on qualification last time round. He will be looking to improve on the team’s 14th place finish in 2012.

Lee represented the country as a player at the Munich 1972 Olympic Games, where they finished seventh, and at Montreal 1976, where they finished sixth. He coached the Saudi Arabia national team from 1993-94 before moving to Kuwait whom he led from 1995-98. In addition, he mentored six clubs across the Middle East between 1980 and 2009, winning 14 trophies. He has also served as team manager of Korea men’s team.