The South Korea national women’s badminton team secured a bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games team event after a 1-3 comeback defeat against Japan in the semifinals on Feb. 23, 2026, at the Ichinomiya City Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, according to tournament reports. Despite world-ranked singles star An Se-young capturing an opening victory, mounting injury absences across the squad derailed South Korea’s bid for a second title following their gold medal at the 2022 Hangzhou Games.
Bronze Medal Secured After Semifinal Stumble
Mounting Roster Gaps and Injury Setbacks
Compounding the roster challenges for South Korea, doubles standout Kong Hee-yong of Jeonbuk Bank was sidelined from the tournament entry due to a knee injury. Second-singles option Kim Ga-eun of Samsung Life Insurance subsequently missed the semifinal tie due to thigh discomfort, preventing the national team from fielding its complete lineup against the host nation.
An Se-young Extends Winning Streak Over Yamaguchi
The semifinal tie opened with world No. 1 singles player An Se-young of Samsung Life Insurance putting South Korea ahead by defeating Akane Yamaguchi 2-1 (21-9, 18-21, 21-11). An seized the first game 21-9 behind sharp diagonal attacks before Yamaguchi rebounded to edge the second 21-18 after an 18-18 deadlock. In the deciding third game, An reasserted her pace and forced unforced errors to close out a 21-11 win, marking her eighth head-to-head victory over Yamaguchi.
Japan Capitalizes to Level and Take the Lead
Japan leveled the team score in the second match as the doubles pairing of Baek Ha-na and Lee So-hee of Incheon International Airport fell 0-2 (15-21, 19-21) to Yuki Fukushima and Mayu Matsumoto. The hosts then pushed South Korea to the brink when Sim Yu-jin of Incheon International Airport dropped the third-singles match 0-2 (15-21, 14-21) against Tomoka Miyazaki.
Makeshift Lineup Falls in Deciding Match
With Kong unavailable, South Korea deployed an improvised fourth-doubles pairing of Kim Hye-jung of Samsung Life Insurance and Jeong Na-eun of Incheon International Airport. The makeshift duo suffered a 0-2 (20-22, 16-21) defeat against Kie Nakanishi and Rin Uesaka, sealing the 1-3 team loss and ending South Korea’s gold-medal defense.
Podium Finish as Competition Continues
Because the tournament rules do not feature a third-place playoff match, South Korea was awarded the bronze medal alongside the other semifinalist. Tournament competition continues through the individual and remaining team draws at the Aichi-Nagoya venues.
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