Korea women's national basketball team

The Korea women's national basketball team is a combined representative team composed of players from both South Korea and North Korea. The team competed in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.

 Korea

FIBA ranking	N/A
Joined FIBA	N/A
FIBA zone	N/A
National federation	Korea Basketball Association / Amateur Basketball Association of DPR of Korea
Coach	Lee Moon-kyu
Olympic Games
Appearances	None
Women's World Cup
Appearances	None
Asian Games
Appearances	1
Medals	Silver: (2018)
First international
Korea 108–40 Indonesia  (Jakarta, Indonesia; 15 August 2018)
Biggest win
Korea 108–40 Indonesia  (Jakarta, Indonesia; 15 August 2018)
Biggest defeat
China 71–65 Korea  (Jakarta, Indonesia; 1 September 2018)

History

The team competed in the 2018 Asian Games.[1] South Korea and North Korea will compete as one in select events in the Asian Games. The composition of the 12-player team roster will be largely South Korean with 3 players being North Korean.[2] The team will be led by South Korea's head coach Lee Moon-kyu.[3]

South Korea and North Korea held exhibition games in men's and women's basketball at the Ryugyong Jong Ju Yong Gymnasium in the latter's capital of Pyongyang in July 2018.[4] Two of the games featured mixed-teams with players from both countries; Team Prosperity and Team Peace while the other two games featured the national teams of both countries.[5] Head coach Lee Moon-kyu used the exhibition matches by the women's teams to scout for possible North Korean players who may be included in the unified Korea team.[6]

In the group stage of the women's basketball competition, the unified Korea was drawn in Group X with Kazakhstan, Indonesia and India.[6]

In April 2019, the FIBA Central Board approved their participation "in principle" at the 2019 FIBA Women's Asia Cup.[7] However such plan did not materialize with the Korean peninsula represented solely by South Korea in the tournament.

Team image

The unified Korean team had a local Korean manufacturer as their kit supplier instead of the Nike, the kit-supplier of the South Korea women's national team to avoid violating sanctions imposed on North Korea banning the importation of luxury goods including sports equipment.[8]

See also

• Korea Team
• Korea women's national ice hockey team

References

1. "North and South Korea to field unified women's basketball team at Asian Games 2018". FIBA. 11 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
2. "Players from South, North reunited for Games". Korea Joongang Daily. Yonhap. 3 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
3. "WNBA center named to unified Korean Asiad basketball team". Yonhap. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
4. "North and South Korea hold friendly basketball games in Pyeongyang". AS.com. 4 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
5. Diaz, Jose Pablo (1 August 2018). "North Korean cross border for joint Asian Games training". AS.com. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
6. "Unified Korean women's hoops team grouped with 4 opponents in Asian Games". Yonhap. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.
7. Morgan, Liam (4 April 2019). "FIBA Central Board approve resolution for joint Korean team to compete at Women's Asia Cup". Inside the Games. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
8. "Asian Games 2018: Joint Korea teams to look for local sports equipment manufacturers due to UN sanctions on Pyongyang". First Post. Agence France-Presse. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2018.