South Korea men's national ice hockey team
| Association | Korea Ice Hockey Association |
|---|---|
| General manager | Choi Kwang-eun |
| Head coach | Kim Woo-jae |
| Assistants | Kim Bum-jin Son Ho-seung |
| Captain | Kim Sang-wook |
| Most games | Kim Ki-sung (145) |
| Top scorer | Kim Ki-sung (72) |
| Most points | Kim Ki-sung (142) |
| Team colors | |
| IIHF code | KOR |
| Ranking | |
| Current IIHF | 23 3 (26 May 2025)[1] |
| Highest IIHF | 16 (2018) |
| Lowest IIHF | 33 (2010) |
| First international | |
| Spain 7–1 (Barcelona, Spain; 16 March 1979) | |
| Biggest win | |
| 44–0 Hong Kong (Perth, Australia; 14 March 1987) | |
| Biggest defeat | |
| Latvia 27–0 (Bled, Slovenia; 18 March 1993) | |
| Olympics | |
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2018) |
| IIHF World Championships | |
| Appearances | 39 (first in 1979) |
| Best result | 16th (2018) |
| Asian Winter Games | |
| Appearances | 8 (first in 1986) |
| Best result | Silver (2017) Bronze (1986, 1990, 2007, 2011) |
| International record (W–L–T) | |
| 117–221–14 | |
| South Korea men's national ice hockey team | |
| Hangul | 대한민국 아이스하키 국가대표팀 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 大韓民國 아이스하키 國家代表팀 |
| Revised Romanization | Daehan Minguk Aiseuhaki Gukga Daepyo Tim |
| McCune–Reischauer | Taehan Min'guk Aisŭhak'i Kukka Taep'yo T'im |
The South Korean national ice hockey team (Korean: 대한민국 아이스하키 국가대표팀) is the national men's ice hockey team of the Republic of Korea (South Korea). They are currently ranked 19th in the IIHF World Rankings and competed in the World Championship top division tournament. The team's most successful campaign thus far was a second-place finish in the 2017 Division I Group A tournament and thus qualifying for the top division in 2018. They competed in their first Winter Olympics in 2018 in Pyeongchang as the host nation.
History
South Korea first participated in the World Championship in 1979, playing in Pool C, the third level of the tournament. They did not return until 1982, again in Pool C, and became a regular participant in 1986. They remained at the Division I level, the second tier of the World Championship, from 2010 until 2017, when they earned a promotion to the 2018 World Championship.
Upon being named the host country for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, the South Korean team began efforts to steadily improve themselves in order to be competitive with the other teams expected at the tournament, led by the efforts of Korea Ice Hockey Association president Chung Mong-won.[2]
Several North American players playing for teams in South Korea were offered South Korean citizenship, thus allowing them to play at the Olympics.[3] This was done to help the team perform better in the lead-up to the Olympics, which proved successful: when awarded the Olympics in 2011, the South Korean team was ranked 31st in the IIHF World Ranking, while on the eve of the Olympics had moved up to 18th.[4] However, South Korea gradually phased out the use of naturalized players in the post-COVID-19 era.
The South Korean team is one of the powerhouses of Asian ice hockey. It is a regular participant in the Asian Winter Games, with its best result being a silver medal in 2017. In November 2024, South Korea took part in the inaugural IIHF Asia Championship and finished in third place. [5]
Tournament record
Olympic Games
- 2018 – 12th place
World Championship
| Year | Finish | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 Barcelona | 7th in the Group C | 25th |
| 1981 Beijing | Did not participate | |
| 1982 Jaca | 8th in the Group C | 24th |
| 1983 Budapest | Did not participate | |
| 1985 Megève, Chamonix and Saint-Gervais | Did not participate | |
| 1986 Jaca | 9th in the Group C, Relegated | 25th |
| 1987 Perth | 2nd in the Group D, Promoted | 26th |
| 1989 Sydney | 7th in the Group C | 23rd |
| 1990 Budapest | 9th in the Group C | 25th |
| 1991 Brøndby | 8th in the Group C | 24th |
| 1992 Hull | 6th in the Group C1 | 26th |
| 1993 Bled | 9th in the Group C | 25th |
| 1994 Barcelona | 10th in the Group C | 30th |
| 1995 Johannesburg and Krugersdorp | 13th in the Group C | 33rd |
| 1996 Kaunas and Elektrenai | 5th in the Group D | 33rd |
| 1997 Canillo | 2nd in the Group D, Promoted | 30th |
| 1998 Budapest, Székesfehérvár and Dunaújváros | 7th in the Group C | 31st |
| 1999 Eindhoven and Tilburg | 6th in the Group C | 30th |
| 2000 Beijing | 5th in the Group C | 29th |
| 2001 Majadahonda | 1st in Division II, Group A, Promoted | 30th |
| 2002 Székesfehérvár and Dunaújváros | 6th in the Division II, Group A, Relegated | 27th |
| 2003 Seoul | 1st in Division II, Group A, Promoted | 29th |
| 2004 Gdańsk | 6th in the Division I, Group B, Relegated | 27th |
| 2005 Zagreb | 3rd in the Division II, Group A | 33rd |
| 2006 Auckland | 2nd in the Division II, Group B | 31st |
| 2007 Seoul | 1st in the Division II, Group B, Promoted | 30th |
| 2008 Innsbruck | 6th in the Division I, Group A, Relegated | 28th |
| 2009 Sofia | 1st in the Division II, Group B, Promoted | 29th |
| 2010 Ljubljana | 5th in the Division I, Group B | 25th |
| 2011 Budapest | 3rd in the Division I, Group A | 22nd |
| 2012 Krynica | 1st in the Division I, Group B, Promoted | 23rd |
| 2013 Budapest | 5th in the Division I, Group A | 21st |
| 2014 Goyang | 6th in the Division I, Group A, Relegated | 22nd |
| 2015 Eindhoven | 1st in the Division I, Group B, Promoted | 23rd |
| 2016 Katowice | 5th in the Division I, Group A | 21st |
| 2017 Kyiv | 2nd in the Division I, Group A, Promoted | 18th |
| 2018 Copenhagen and Herning | 8th in the Group B, Relegated | 16th |
| 2019 Astana | 3rd in Division I, Group A | 19th |
| 2020 Ljubljana | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[6] | |
| 2021 Ljubljana | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic[7] | |
| 2022 Ljubljana | 4th in Division I, Group A | 20th |
| 2023 Nottingham | 4th in Division I, Group A | 20th |
| 2024 Bolzano | 6th in the Division I, Group A Relegated | 26th |
| 2025 Tallinn | 2nd in the Division I, Group B | 24th |
Asian Winter Games
| Year | Host | Result | M | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Japan | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1990 | Japan | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1996 | South Korea | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1999 | China | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2003 | Japan | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2007 | China | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2011 | Kazakhstan | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2017 | Japan | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2025 | China | 3 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 64 | 15 | +49 |
| Total | - | 9/9 | 40 | 18 | 1 | 21 | 220 | 206 | +14 |
Key: OT = W / SO = D / Excluded Goals in SO
- 2025: JPN 3-3 KOR Supposed
Asia Championship
- 2025 – 3rd place
All-time record against other nations
Last match update: 14 February 2025[8]
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | 14 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 84 | 55 |
| Austria | 7 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 16 | 37 |
| Belarus | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 19 |
| Belgium | 7 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 27 | 24 |
| Bulgaria | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 48 | 53 |
| Canada | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 18 |
| China | 24 | 7 | 2 | 15 | 71 | 129 |
| Chinese Taipei | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 3 |
| Croatia | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 29 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Denmark | 10 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 16 | 86 |
| Estonia | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 26 |
| Finland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| France | 4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 49 |
| Germany | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| Great Britain | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 23 | 46 |
| Hong Kong | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 79 | 1 |
| Hungary | 22 | 5 | 1 | 16 | 59 | 128 |
| Iceland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 2 |
| Israel | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 11 |
| Italy | 14 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 20 | 73 |
| Japan | 37 | 9 | 1 | 27 | 75 | 207 |
| Kazakhstan | 27 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 54 | 138 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Latvia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 38 |
| Lithuania | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 24 | 25 |
| Malaysia | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Mexico | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 48 | 6 |
| Mongolia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 37 | 2 |
| Netherlands | 9 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 39 | 49 |
| New Zealand | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 99 | 5 |
| North Korea | 12 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 40 | 64 |
| Norway | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 31 |
| Poland | 15 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 32 | 59 |
| Romania | 12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 41 | 56 |
| Russia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Yugoslavia/ Serbia and Montenegro |
8 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 14 | 67 |
| Slovakia | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Slovenia | 11 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 20 | 55 |
| South Africa | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 8 |
| Spain | 14 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 54 | 52 |
| Sweden | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Switzerland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| Thailand | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Turkey | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Ukraine | 7 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 14 | 38 |
| United States | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 |
| Total | 352 | 117 | 14 | 221 | 1 326 | 1 756 |
All-time record against other clubs
Last match update: 11 August 2017[9]
| Team | GP | W | T | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russia Olympic Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 9 |
| Admiral Vladivostok | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| HC Sparta Praha | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Mountfield HK | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| HC Dynamo Pardubice | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| HC Škoda Plzeň | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Motor České Budějovice | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| Total | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 20 | 37 |
See also
- South Korea men's national junior ice hockey team
- South Korea men's national under-18 ice hockey team
- South Korea women's national ice hockey team
References
- ^ "IIHF Men's World Ranking". IIHF. 26 May 2025. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
- ^ Podnieks, Andrew (4 February 2020). "Legends join IIHF Hall of Fame". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
- ^ Crouse, Karen; Berkman, Seth (23 February 2017). "South Korea, Next Olympics Host, Went Shopping in North America to Build Its Hockey Teams". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Lerner, Matt (4 May 2017). "South Korea and China Chasing Hockey Dreams". The Diplomat. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ Boka, Tom (24 March 2025). "IIHF Asia Championship 2025 in Ice Hockey: the Inaugural Edition". AsianIceHockey.com. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ "IIHF cancels Division I tournaments". iihf.com. 17 March 2019.
- ^ "IIHF – IIHF Council announces more cancellations". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Ice Hockey in South Korea". National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
- ^ "South-Korea-Men-All-Time-Results.pdf" (PDF). National Teams of Ice Hockey. Retrieved 2 February 2018.