They almost couldn't even return home after winning the gold medal... Korean basketball team faces another 'bus no-show' on their return day; Yeo Jun-seok says, "Until the day we leave..."

*This content was translated by AI.

Although they won the gold medal, the journey was not smooth until the very end.

After the Korean Nam Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team secured its first gold medal in 12 years at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, it encountered an absurd situation where the scheduled bus failed to arrive on time during their return trip.

Yeo Jun-seok of the Korean national basketball team posted several photos on his Instagram on the 21st with the caption: "Until the day we leave... the bus isn't coming."

The photos show Korean athletes and staff who had packed all their luggage for the return flight, waiting outside a building for transportation.

The players waited for the bus beside their suitcases and various bags.

Signs of exhaustion from the long wait were also visible. Lee Woo-seok leaned his body over his suitcase while waiting, and Byun Jun-hyeong rested by sitting on a luggage cart.

Even after completing all tournament activities and being ready to return to Korea, transportation issues remained unresolved.

In fact, the Korean delegation faced multiple inconveniences related to transportation during this event.

The most significant controversy occurred on the day of the final match against Japan.

The national team had planned to warm up with shooting practice at a separate gymnasium earlier in the morning before the game.

However, the vehicle carrying the delegation, which was supposed to arrive at their accommodation around 10 a.m., never showed up.

As a result, Korea could not reach the training venue and had to cancel the entire morning practice session.

During the previous day's training, players also endured long travel times. Compounded by heavy traffic congestion, the physical burden was significant.

Korean players, including captain Lee Seung-hyun, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the tournament organization.

Fortunately, Korea remained unshaken despite these setbacks.

Led by coach Nicholas Mazulis of Latvia, Korea defeated Japan 67-57 in the final on the 20th, securing its fifth Asian Games men's basketball gold medal overall and the first in 12 years since the 2014 Incheon tournament.

Having already crushed Japan 100-83 in the group stage, Korea once again overcame the host nation to claim the championship in the gold-medal-deciding final.

This marks the fifth time Korean men's basketball has won a gold medal at the Asian Games, following victories in 1970, 1982, 2002, and 2014.

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*This content was translated by AI.