South Korea's Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Teams Both Miss Out on Medals... Women's Team Finishes Fourth After Falling to North Korea

[Financial News] South Korea's men's and women's artistic gymnastics national teams both failed to win medals in the team events at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
In the women's team final held at Rainbow Hall at Nagoya City General Gymnasium in Nagoya, Japan, on the 23rd, South Korea's team of Yeo Seo-jeong (Jecheon City Hall), Shin Sol-yi (Gangwon Sports Council), Im Su-min (Jecheon City Hall), Lee Yun-seo (Gyeongsangbuk-do Provincial Government), and Hwang Seo-hyun (Incheon Physical Education High School) scored a combined 156.863 points across the four apparatuses—vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise—to finish fourth.
South Korea had targeted its first team-event medal in 20 years since the 2006 Doha Asian Games, when it inherited the bronze medal after North Korea was disqualified for age manipulation. However, South Korea was edged out by North Korea, which scored 158.329 points, by just 1.466 points after the two teams faced each other in the same group. With its bronze medal at these Games, North Korea secured a women's team-event medal at four consecutive Asian Games. China won gold with 166.462 points, claiming its 14th consecutive title, while Japan took silver with 165.362 points.
South Korea opened in fifth place after scoring 37.599 points on the uneven bars, its first apparatus. It began to fight back on the balance beam, combining for 40.332 points with a strong performance from Hwang Seo-hyun, who qualified for the event final and scored 14.566 points. On floor exercise, Yeo Seo-jeong, Im Su-min, and Shin Sol-yi narrowed the gap further with steady routines, recording 38.833 points.
On the final apparatus, vault, ace Yeo Seo-jeong delivered a standout performance. She scored 14.133 points to surpass her rival, North Korea's An Chang-ok, who scored 13.900, and rank first overall among all competitors. However, it was not enough to overcome the accumulated deficit.
South Korea's men's team, comprising Ryu Sung-hyun (Seoul Metropolitan Government), Seo Jung-won (Suwon Special City), Kim Jae-ho and Hur Woong (both Jecheon City Hall), and Lee Jung-hyo (POSCO E&C), also competed in the men's team final held earlier. The team scored a combined 236.359 points across six apparatuses to finish fifth among eight countries.
South Korea had hoped to win a medal for the first time in eight years since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games, but its hopes were dashed after it fell 3.537 points short of Taiwan, which won bronze with 239.896 points. China won the men's gold medal with 255.095 points, while Japan took silver with 253.826 points.  
[email protected] Park Ji-hyun Reporter