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Army volleyball team to represent Korea at Asian Championship

The Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps volleyball team poses for a picture before flying to Japan on Wednesday for the 21st Asian Senior Volleyball Championship starting on Sunday. [KOREA VOLLEYBALL ASSOCIATION]

The Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps volleyball team flew to Japan on Wednesday for the 21st Asian Senior Volleyball Championship hosted by the Asian Volleyball Confederation that starts on Sunday.

The Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps were dispatched to represent Korea on the international stage instead of the men's national volleyball team because all athletes of the Corps team are fully vaccinated.

The team has trained for the tournament for three weeks from Aug. 22 in Mungyeong, North Gyeongsang.

Before training for the Asian Championship, the team joined the seven other men's V League teams in vying for the KOVO Cup.

The Corps put up a good fight against stronger teams, winning their first match against the KB Insurance Stars 3-1 and then beating the Seoul Woori Card Wibees 3-2 after a prolonged fifth set. The Corps dropped out of their third match, losing against Incheon Korean Air Jumbos 3-1.

Kim Ji-han, Lee Min-wook, Hwang Young-kwon, Lee Ji-yul, Choi Ik-je, Jeong Seong-hwan, Ham Dong-jun, Kim Dong-min, Jueng Tae-hyun, Cheon Jong-beom, Geum Tae-yong, Han Kuk-min, Lee Won-jung and Lee Si-woo were all named to the squad that will represent Korea at the Asian Senior Volleyball Championship.

Fifteen other countries — Japan, Iran, Australia, Taiwan, China, Pakistan, India, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Uzbekistan — will also compete at the Asian Senior Volleyball Championship,

Korea qualified for the event at the 2019 Asian Men's Volleyball Championship in Tehran, Iran, taking fourth place. Korea is placed in Pool D alongside Taiwan, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia.

Korea has won the title four times since 1975; in 1989, 1993, 2001 and 2003. As the 2020 edition was canceled due to the pandemic, the defending champion is Iran from 2019, when Korea finished fourth.

BY YUN SO-HYANG [yun.sohyang@joongang.co.kr]