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Low-scoring games, no foreign talent. Why Korean women’s basketball is in crisis.

Published: 25 Mar. 2025, 10:37 Updated: 25 Mar. 2025, 14:41

Busan BNK Sum celebrate winning the WKBL Championship at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on March 20. [NEWS1]

Busan BNK Sum may have ended the 2024-25 season successfully with their first WKBL Championship title, but this campaign exposed some alarming signs not just for the championship winners but for the league itself.

Busan BNK set an embarrassing record in WKBL history en route to their first championship victory, scoring a single point in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the playoffs against Yongin Samsung Life Blueminx on March 7, marking the fewest points ever scored in a WKBL playoff game.

The league witnessed an even more shocking scoring record on Dec. 16, when Asan Woori Bank Woori Won failed to score a single point in the first quarter of their game against Incheon Shinhan Bank S-Birds — marking the first time a team has gone a whole quarter without scoring in the WKBL’s 28-year history.

These unusual records highlight deeper concerns about the WKBL’s competitiveness and indicate that the league may require an overhaul.

But what factors have caused the WKBL to be this way?

Less competition in the absence of foreign players

WKBL players have fewer opportunities to learn from competing against or alongside top international talent since the league scrapped its foreign player draft in 2020 in an effort to develop domestic players.

Asan Woori Bank Woori Won small forward Kim Dan-bi, right, dribbles during a WKBL playoff game against Busan BNK Sum at Sajik Gymnasium in Busan on March 20. [YONHAP]

The league introduced an Asia Quota system in 2024, but in its first season, it only allowed Japanese players, limiting the talent pool.

Meanwhile, standout WKBL players often leave the league to gain experience abroad, further weakening domestic competition.

“Elite players such as Park Ji-su [of Galatasaray] and Park Ji-hyun [of Mallorca] went overseas, and those left in Korea are not really good in the first place,” a former WKBL coach told the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

As a result, the Korean women’s national team — composed mainly of WKBL players — failed to qualify for the Paris Olympics last year.

Shrinking player pool and lack of motivation

A declining player base is another factor contributing to the league’s struggles.

Only 19 high schools in Korea have girls' basketball teams — an alarmingly low number compared to Japan, which has around 3,000.

Even schools that do have teams face player shortages. Last May, Soongeui Girls’ High School played a match where they could not substitute an injured player because they only had five players available.

The WKBL also lacks a promotion-relegation system, reducing competitive urgency.

While winning is ideal, under the current six-team round-robin format, losing does not carry serious consequences. The only real motivation for players is securing a postseason spot to compete for the championship.

Future of women’s basketball

Reinstating the foreign player draft or expanding the Asia Quota system could help boost the WKBL’s competitiveness and revive the Korean women’s national team’s past success from the 1980s.

“Korean women’s basketball used to achieve great results, like winning silver at the 1984 Olympics, but the team has been in a slump recently,” Woori Won head coach Wie Sung-woo said after winning the coaching award last month. “I hope players put in more effort.”

Since their silver medal in 1984, the Korean women’s team has not medaled at the Olympics again.

BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]