*This content was translated by AI.
The men's U-23 national football team, aiming for a fourth consecutive Asian Games gold medal, has departed for Japan, the host nation.
Head coach Lee Min-seong and the main squad of Lee Kkeu-neun (CEO) departed from Incheon International Airport at 7:05 a.m. on the 6th, bound for Shizuoka, Japan.
The departure roster includes 13 K-League players, such as Lee Gi-hyuk (Gangwon), along with coaching staff, and European-based player Lee Hyun-ju (Arouca), who joined early on the 2nd, totaling 14 athletes. Defender Choi Seok-hyun (Ulsan), who played an away match in Jeju the previous day, will separately join the team locally today due to travel scheduling constraints.
The remaining overseas players will sequentially complete the squad at the destination. According to the Korea Football Association, Park Seung-soo (Newcastle) joins on the 6th, followed by Kim Ji-soo (Brentford) on the 7th, Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic FC), Kim Myeong-jun (Henk), and Yang Min-hyuk (Westerlo) on the 8th. Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) and Eom Ji-sung (Swansea City) will join on the 10th. Lee Young-joon was originally scheduled to join on the 14th but is currently coordinating schedules with his club team.
The national team will enhance its organizational cohesion during a pre-tournament camp in Shizuoka until the 11th. After assessing their match readiness through a closed-door practice game against a local team on the 11th, they will move to Aichi-Nagoya, the tournament venue, on the 12th.
To prevent exposure of team strength, both the Shizuoka training sessions and the travel schedule to Nagoya will remain closed to the public. The first public event is scheduled for a group stage press conference on the 14th.
South Korean football has secured three consecutive gold medals from the 2014 Incheon Games through the 2023 Hangzhou Games. At this tournament, Lee Min-seong's team, placed in Group D among 15 participating nations, will face Qatar in their opening match on the 15th and Saudi Arabia in their second match on the 22nd as they compete for a spot in the quarterfinals.
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*This content was translated by AI.
