The South Korean men's national volleyball team secured its second consecutive win in the group stage and advanced to the quarterfinals by coming from behind to defeat Taiwan.

Led by head coach Isanaye Ramirez, South Korea defeated Taiwan 3-1 (24-26, 25-10, 25-15, 25-23) in their second Group D match of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games held on the 28th at the Komaki City Sports Park Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

Having swept the Philippines 3-0 the previous day, South Korea claimed its second straight victory by beating Taiwan as well. Ace player Heo Su-bong, who missed the Philippines match due to cold and flu symptoms, returned from his recovery to put on an 18-point performance. Meanwhile, group rival China also defeated the Philippines 3-0 to record its second win, securing quarterfinal tickets for both South Korea and China. South Korea will face China in the final group stage match on the 29th to determine first place in Group D.

South Korea struggled against Taiwan's offensive push in the early stages of the first set. Failing to effectively block opponent attacks, the team fell behind by as many as three points at one stage. However, a counterattack came late in the set. Trailing 16-19, South Korea narrowed the gap through Lim Dong-hyuk's attack and an opponent overnet fault, then tied the game 19-20 with Shin Ho-jin's open attack. An opponent quick-attack fault allowed South Korea to turn the tide.

Yet, the team fell short in closing out the deuce. After allowing a central pipe attack at 24-24, the reception faltered, and a toss error by Han Tae-joon handed the first set to Taiwan.

Reorganizing their ranks, South Korea completely shifted the momentum in the second set. They seized control right from the start by rattling off five consecutive points, pulling ahead 10-2 to widen the gap early. Giving Taiwan no room to chase, South Korea took the set 25-10 to level the match.

Carrying this momentum, South Korea kept up the pressure in the third set. Tied at 6-6, they scored three straight points to take the lead. When the score quickly widened to 16-10, Taiwan hastily called a timeout. However, it was insufficient to change the mood. South Korea successfully executed attacks across the center and flanks to finish the third set 25-15.

Entering the fourth set with a 2-1 set lead, South Korea was once again rattled by Taiwan's serves in the early going. The opponents raced ahead 7-5, capitalizing on strong serves and blocking, and South Korea struggled to easily shift the momentum while conceding another service ace during the chase.

Focus returned from the middle of the set onward. At 17-19, Heo Su-bong succeeded in a difficult open attack, followed by an opponent error to level the score at 19-19. At 20-20, Lim Dong-hyuk landed a precise service ace. Bolstered by Lee Sang-hyun's crucial blocking, South Korea captured the fourth set 25-23 to wrap up the match.

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