The South Korean men's national basketball team has advanced to the final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Their opponent in the final will be Japan.

South Korea secured their spot in the final by overwhelming Iran 77-51 in the men's basketball semifinal held at the Aichi International Arena on the 18th. Korea took an early lead of 36-24 and never relinquished control of the game. In individual scoring, Lee Hyun-jung led the team to victory with 26 points, while Lee Woo-seok added 19 points and Lee Jung-hyun contributed 11.

["Bombarding Iran All by Himself"... Broadcasters' Warm Praise]

The broadcasters' praise continued as well. Commentator Kim Jong-kyu, commenting on Lee Woo-seok's performance, said, "He is bombing Iran all by himself. Truly remarkable," and added, "He's a younger player I personally like, and today he looks especially handsome." Caster Lee Young-ho described Lee Hyun-jung's three-point shooting: "He made three-pointers from every position. Lee Hyun-jung himself had a look of 'Even that one went in?'" Commentator Son Dae-beom celebrated the victory, saying, "This ends the frustrating losing streak against Iran."

[Final Opponent Is Japan... Korea Won 100-83 in Group Stage]

With Japan defeating China the same day, the final matchup was set between Korea and Japan. Korea had already beaten Japan 100-83 in the group stage to top Group A. The final will be broadcast live on KBS 1TV at 7:10 p.m. on the 20th.

[Iran Match Tops Viewership Ratings in Its Time Slot... Opening Ceremony Broadcast Scheduled for the 19th]

The momentum extended to viewership ratings. According to Nielsen Korea's nationwide figures, KBS 1TV's broadcast of the Iran match recorded 1.0%, ranking first in its time slot, while MBC posted 0.8% and SBS 0.6%.

Meanwhile, the opening ceremony of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games will be held at 6 p.m. on the 19th. KBS will cover the atmosphere of the opening ceremony on 1TV starting at 5:30 p.m., with commentators Kangnam and Kim Moon-jung and caster Lee Jae-hu handling the broadcast.