[Arts & Culture] 2026 Asian Games D-1: What to look for as S. Korea begins its pursuit of medals

아시안게임 D-1 금빛 레이스 시작, 주목할 점은?

Now, the official opening ceremony of the 20th Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games is just one day away.
To tell us more about the Games and what to look out for, we're joined by our culture correspondent, Cho Young-eun.
Welcome, Young-eun.

Great to be here, Dami.

Young-eun, Team Korea's main delegation is now in Nagoya and ready to compete.
How prepared are the athletes heading into the Games?

Right, Dami, the 2026 Asian Games will officially begin tomorrow with the opening ceremony taking place in Nagoya.
The Games will then run for 16 days, through October 4th, with Team Korea having assembled a delegation of 1-thousand-52 people, including 792 athletes.
Before departure from Incheon International Airport, some of Korea's medal hopefuls, Seo Seung-jae and Shin Yu-bin, reaffirmed their determination to succeed.

"Our goal is to win the gold medal, and we know there are high expectations as the world's number-one ranked team. But rather than feeling pressure, I want to trust the process we’ve been through, and give everything I have on the court so that I have no regrets."

"We want to win medals in every event, and I hope we can all work together as a team to get the results we want."

While the official opening ceremony is still a day away, competitions have already begun in some events for Team Korea.
On Friday, the men's hockey team secured a 5-nil win over Bangladesh in its opening Group A match while the women’s basketball team cruised to a 66-point victory over Malaysia in its opening game.
The soft tennis team advanced to the semifinals in both the men’s and women’s team events, securing at least two bronze medals.
The men's basketball team reached the Asian Games final for the first time in 12 years, securing Team Korea's first silver medal of the Games.

Young-eun, who are some of the athletes and events we should keep an eye on?
And what is Team Korea hoping to achieve at these Games?

Team Korea will compete in 41 sports, with a total of 469 gold medals up for grabs.
Korea is aiming to win around 40 gold medals, similar to its haul of 42 at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
The team is once again targeting a top-three finish.
In swimming, the men’s freestyle relay kicks things off on September 21st, followed by Hwang Sun-woo’s bid for the title on September 23rd.
In women's fencing, Song Se-ra is tipped to claim top spot, followed by Oh Sang-uk in the men’s sabre.
On September 26th, high jumper Woo Sang-hyeok and the table tennis mixed doubles pair of Lim Jong-hoon and Shin Yu-bin will also compete for gold.
The baseball team, featuring KBO League star Kim Do-yeong, will seek a fifth consecutive Asian Games title in the Gold Medal Game on September 27th.
On September 29th, badminton star An Se-young in the women's singles, and the men's doubles pair of Seo Seung-jae and Kim Won-ho, will take to the court for medals.
Starting in October, the judo team will compete, with Huh Mi-mi and Kim Min-jong in the singles, and the finals of the archery team events will take center stage on the 2nd.

"Although some events have been set to some extent, there are still things we don't know yet, so I'm not sure how many medals we can win. But I'll do my best, especially focusing on the 400 and 800-meter freestyle relays, and work hard to reach an even higher level."

"I felt a lot of pressure and was really worried after winning a medal at the Olympics. But there are so many people supporting me. I'm working hard now so that I can win a gold medal at the Asian Games. I'll give it my all to make sure I can win gold at the Asian Games."


And Young-eun, what sets this year's Asian Games apart?
Are there any new sports or special attractions that fans should look out for?

At this year's Asian Games, new categories include virtual taekwondo, which uses virtual reality technology.
Other new sports include padel, which combines elements of tennis and squash, and teqball, a sport that combines football and table tennis.
There is also the Korea House, which will be open from September 18th through October 3rd at Lives Nagoya, an exhibition venue near the athletes' village.
At the Team Korea Zone, visitors can experience sports, while group cheering events for major competitions will also be held.
Korea House sells K-culture merchandise, including museum souvenirs from the National Museum of Korea and keyrings from the Olympic Committee.
The Culture Ministry says it hopes to fully support the athletes and see the hard work they have put into years of training.

Well, it certainly sounds like there's plenty to enjoy both on and off the field.
We'll be cheering on Team Korea as the games get underway.
Thank you for the coverage, Young-eun.

#AsianGames #TeamKorea #AichiNagoya2026 #KoreanSports #아시안게임 #아리랑뉴스

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2026-09-18, 20:00 (KST)