South Korea finished third at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 39 gold medals, missing its target of 40 to 45 and failing to narrow the gap with Japan. The result was the country's third consecutive third-place finish and its lowest gold-medal total since winning 28 in 1982. Japan pulled away early, while India finished fourth with 21 gold medals. South Korea underperformed in swimming, archery, shooting, judo, table tennis and wrestling, although it won three taekwondo golds, including one in kyorugi (taekwondo sparring), and swept the men's and women's basketball titles for the first time in 12 years. It also won men's 3x3 basketball, baseball, men's football and women's handball golds, while fencing produced four golds and 10 medals overall. KSOC president Ryu Seung-min said the organization will conduct a detailed review of results, training systems and sports science ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, while listening more closely to athletes and coaches to build a stronger Team Korea.