South Korea National Rugby Union Team

Korea

Emblem	The Rose of Sharon
Union	Korea Rugby Union
Head coach	Lee Myung Geun
Captain	Noh Ok Gi
Most caps	Back Kwang-soo (26)
Home stadium	Incheon Namdong Asiad Rugby Field
First colours Second colours
World Rugby ranking
Current	30 (as of 20 March 2023)
First international
Taiwan 15–9 Korea  (March 8, 1969)
Biggest win
Korea 135–3 Malaysia  (September 20, 1992)
Biggest defeat
Tonga 119–0 Korea  (March 22, 2003)
Best result	Repechage 2
Website	www.rugby.or.kr

Men's World Rugby Rankings v t e Top 30 as of 18 March 2024
Rank	Change*	Team	Points
1		South Africa	094.54
2		Ireland	090.69
3		New Zealand	089.80
4		France	087.92
5		England	085.75
6		Scotland	082.82
7		Argentina	080.68
8	1	Italy	079.41
9	1	Australia	077.48
10	2	Wales	077.26
11		Fiji	076.38
12		Japan	074.27
13		Georgia	074.02
14		Samoa	072.23
15	1	Tonga	071.57
16	1	Portugal	070.28
17		United States	067.94
18		Uruguay	067.39
19		Spain	064.37
20		Romania	061.66
21		Canada	060.90
22		Namibia	060.56
23		Chile	060.49
24		Hong Kong	059.80
25		Russia	058.06
26		Switzerland	057.44
27		Netherlands	057.29
28	1	Belgium	055.89
29	1	Brazil	055.37
30	1	Korea	053.46
* Change from the previous week

Korea were at their peak in the 1980s, where they won 3 consecutive Asian championships (defeating full-strength Japan squads), and even managed to play a test against the Wallabies. Korea reached the repechage round of qualification for the 1999, 2003, and 2007 Rugby World Cups, being eliminated by Tonga each time. They also failed to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup. They did not qualify for the 2019 Rugby World Cup

Korea participated in the 2008 Asian Five Nations, the inaugural Asian Five Nations.

It is unknown when rugby was first played in Korea. During the mid-19th century, European sailors are recorded as playing some of the earliest games in north east Asia, in ports such as Shanghai and Yokohama in neighbouring China and Japan, but it is unclear whether this occurred in Korea itself. However, it seems certain it had some presence by the mid-20th century. Korea was to become occupied by Japan, the main rugby playing nation of Asia, and it could well have been introduced then. In the amateur days, South Korea maintained a fierce rivalry with Japan.

After World War II, and later, during the period of the Korean War, the large influx of troops from Commonwealth countries cemented its presence. One legacy of this is that South Korean rugby has traditionally been strongest in the army.

However, South Korean rugby has a second string to its bow. The massive growth of the economy since the 1960s, meant that a number of Korean corporations were to set up company teams along the lines of those in Japan, and this has broken up the former dominance of the military.

South Korea made a failed attempt to have rugby union at the Olympic Games readmitted, when they hosted the games in Seoul. Roh Tae-woo, who was South Korean president at the time, had been a player. South Korea have emerged as an important rugby nation in Asia, since they won the Asian Championship in 1990.

Despite having never qualified for a Rugby World Cup, South Korea were represented in 1995 in South Africa, with Han Moon-soo refereeing the fixture between France and the Ivory Coast.

• Lee Ken-yok
• Kim Yeon-ki
• Sung Hae-kyoung
• Roh Tae-woo, 13th president of South Korea (1988–1993)
• Kim Keon-young

Expatriate rugby was first played in Korea in 1972. An expat team called the Seoul Wanderers were formed to give opposition to both the local university teams and stationed army teams. This team was made up of players from the UK, New Zealand, and Australia. The team was disbanded in 1976. However, the void caused by a lack of rugby was soon to be filled. In late 1977 Billy Cornett and Brad Handley got together and decided to form a new expat club - the Seoul Survivors. The club is still around today.

Other Expatriate clubs include the Busan Bandits Rugby Football Club (based in Busan), the Ulsan Goblins Rugby Club (based in Ulsan) and the Stars & Stripes Korea Rugby Club (based in Pyeongtaek).

South Korea 26-man squad for the 2023 Asian Rugby Championship. Caps updated 31 May 2023.

• Head coach:   Lee Myung Geun

Player	Position	Club	Caps	Date of birth
Choi Ho Young	Hooker	Korea University	2	3 October 2000
Yeo Jae Min	Hooker	POSCO	0	25 April 1999
Seok Dong Hee	Prop	POSCO	3	16 February 1998
Shin Gi Soo	Prop	KAFAC	2	26 January 1997
Kang Soon Hyuk	Prop	POSCO	6	28 June 1994
Won Jeong Ho	Prop	Korea University	0	9 February 1996
Shin Da Hyun	Lock	KEPCO	10	3 September 2000
Lee Jin Seok	Lock	POSCO	7	24 September 1998
Kim Dae Hwan	Lock	KEPCO	2	6 October 1996
Noh Ok Gi	Flanker	KEPCO	4	7 August 1995
Kim Yo Han	Flanker	Hyundai Glovis	2	13 January 1996
Noh Myung Soo	Flanker	Hyundai Glovis	0	27 December 1999
Park Woo Bin	Flanker	KAFAC	0	28 November 2000
Hwang Jeong Wook	Flanker	Korea University	0	30 November 2000
Lee Geon	Scrum-half	POSCO	2	26 May 1999
Kim Wan Seok	Scrum-half	KAFAC	0	28 November 2000
Kim Ki Min	Fly-half	KEPCO	4	5 August 1997
Kim Hyun Jin	Fly-half	Korea University	0	31 October 2000
Kim Yong Hwi	Centre	Red Hurricanes Osaka	1	29 June 1999
Yang Jun Cheol	Centre	KAFAC	0	28 November 1998
Huh Dong	Centre	Korea University	0	13 March 1997
Jang Hyun Goo	Wing	Kyung Hee University	0	16 October 1992
Jang Jeong-Min	Wing	KEPCO	10	10 November 1994
Chang Yong-Heung 6 June	Wing	KEPCO	9	12 November 1993
Kim Eui Tae	Fullback	KAFAC	0	6 June 1993
Jeong Yeon-Sik	Fullback	Hyundai Glovis	13	8 May 1993