South Korea's national Identity V team saw its Asian Games medal bid come to an end after falling to China.
South Korea lost to China in the quarterfinals of the Identity V event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on September 30. Although South Korea secured a 2-1 victory over Hong Kong on September 29, the team failed to advance to the semifinals after being overcome by China.
Speaking in a post-match interview, national team captain Hong Hyun-ki expressed regret over not being able to fully display what they had prepared. Stating that while their target was a bronze medal, they prepared for the tournament aiming for even higher results, he said, "Since we were eliminated in the quarterfinals, I feel sorry that we couldn't properly show what we prepared. I want to thank everyone who supported us."
Against China, the team made a strategic decision to play to individual player strengths rather than sticking to conventional draft bans and picks. Judging that a head-to-head power clash playing the standard way would be difficult to win, they prioritized the player's signature pick over current meta-defining Hunter choices. However, reflecting on the reason for the loss, he looked back on his own play, saying, "I think my disappointing performance in the second half of Round 2 was likely the main cause of our defeat."
Aside from the disappointing result, competing in the Asian Games was a special experience. Unlike developer-hosted tournaments, competing alongside athletes from various sports disciplines as an Identity V national team representative filled him with immense pride. He said, "I feel incredibly proud that Identity V is part of the Asian Games and that South Korea's national team can proudly stand among them."
The national team's journey began last November as they prepared for the KeSPA Cup Expansion Event. At the time, they considered themselves a one-off team formed solely for that event, but as subsequent tournaments followed, their time playing together grew longer. Starting in December of last year, they prepared for Call of the Abyss IX and competed in the main stage, immediately transitioning to prepare for the national team selection trials upon their return.
Hong highlighted the hard work of his teammates, noting that the players who had been together from the start rushed all the way to this tournament without adequate rest. Having taken on some head coach duties alongside his role as captain and team leader in the absence of a coach, he expressed his gratitude to the players he played with, those who joined or left midway, and the team manager. He conveyed that maintaining the team and challenging the Asian Games until now was all thanks to everyone's help.
Although their national team run ended in the quarterfinals, he expressed his determination to carry this experience forward to future stages. The captain concluded, "I won't forget what I gained and experienced here, and I will continue working hard to show good performances in the future."
