South Korea has traditional sports of its own, as well as sports imported from other cultures and countries. Football and baseball have traditionally been regarded as the most popular sports in Korea. A 2021 poll showed that 25% of South Korean sports fans identified football as their favourite sport, with baseball ranked 2nd at 18.8% of respondents.

Korean traditional sports Korean martial arts

Taekwondo Taekwondo, a popular martial art, is said to have historical origins on the Korean peninsula as far back as the 1st century BCE. The sport rose to prominence following the end of Japanese occupation with the end of World War II. Formalized rules were established in 1961 and in 1988 the sport became an Olympic event. The name "Taekwondo" literally means way of foot and fist, although the modern sport emphasises kicking. Ssireum

Ssireum wrestling is enlisted on UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists and one of popular sport in South Korea. Ssireum is originated in agricultural society of Korea to celebrate Dano, Chuseok and Seolnal. Korea Ssireum Association is a governing body of Ssireum.

Kang Ho-dong and Lee Man-ki are famous Ssireum Wrestlers. Korean Ssireum Wrestlers are registered in Korea Ssireum Association and most of them are trained from Primary School to University Level.

Other martial arts

Although there is much controversy regarding the historical origins of many martial disciplines in South Korea, there is little question that, Koreanized or traditional in origin, Korean martial arts and sports have enjoyed considerable success. Styles such as Hapkido, Kuk Sool, Hwarangdo, Han Moo Do, Yudo, Kumdo, Goog-sool, and many others arose quickly out of an independent Korea and have spread to countries around the world. Although they are not as popular as Taekwondo, they each uniquely represent the Korean martial spirit which dates back to antiquity. Unlike Japanese martial arts which often use "-do" at a name's end (meaning "way"), traditional Korean martial arts were called "Mu Sool" or "Mu Yea". This could lead to some confusion since although the "do" in Taekwondo and Hapkido means "way" (as in Karate-do and Aikido), the historical meaning in Hwarangdo is different from the modern usage (also "way" like the others). When that martial art was invented in the 1960s, the name was borrowed from an ancient group (do) consisting mainly of the children of the gentry class (yangban) for learning military tactics, leadership, and fighting skills.

Other competitive sports

Team sports

Baseball

Baseball was first introduced to Korea by American missionaries in the late 19th century. The American missionaries' goal was to use baseball to spread muscular Christianity. South Korea's professional baseball league, the KBO League started in 1982 with six teams and has since expanded to include ten teams. Korea won the Gold Medal in baseball at the 2008 Olympic Games. Korea is also a regular participant in the World Baseball Classic, finishing as runners-up in 2009 and in 3rd place in 2006. The domestic KBO League consistently draws 8 million total fans per year, averaging approximately 11,500 spectators per game, both highest among professional spectator sports in South Korea. There is also an active baseball cheering culture in South Korea, with each team having its own method of cheering. Several Korean players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.

Association football

Football became popular in Korea in the early 1900s. At the time there was a major football rivalry between Pyongyang and Seoul. The Joseon Football Association was established in 1928 in order to develop the sport domestically, but was banned ten years later by the Japanese colonial government. Following the liberation of the Korea and the establishment of South Korea, the Korea Football Association (KFA) was founded in 1948.

The national football team became the first team in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to reach the FIFA World Cup semi-finals in the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which South Korea jointly hosted with Japan. The Korea National Football Team (as it is known) has qualified for every World Cup since Mexico 1986, and has broken out of the group stage thrice: first in 2002, then in 2010, when it was defeated by eventual semi-finalist Uruguay in the Round of 16, and in 2022, where it was defeated by eventual quarter-finalist Brazil. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, South Korea's U-23 team won the bronze medal in men's football.

South Korea, which competes internationally under the name of "Korea Republic", has qualified for twelve FIFA World Cups including the most recent 2026 tournament (Asian record), and co-hosted the 2002 World Cup, finishing in 4th place. Also in 2010, the country's under-17 women's team won the 2010 FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup in Trinidad and Tobago, claiming South Korea's first-ever title in worldwide FIFA competition.

The K League, established in 1983, is the oldest domestic professional football league in Asia. Since its foundation the league has expanded to two professional divisions, K League 1 and K League 2. There are also two semi-professional divisions and the KFA has announced plans to restructure Korean men's football into a unified pyramid by 2027.

The Korea Women's Football Federation was established in 2001 and launched the WK League in 2009 with six semi-professional teams.. The league has since expanded to eight teams and the KWFF has announced plans to fully professionalise the league by 2035.

Basketball Professional basketball teams compete in the Korean Basketball League and Women's Korean Basketball League. The South Korea national basketball team won a record number of 25 medals at the Asian Basketball Championship. The only Korean NBA player to date has been Ha Seung-Jin, who played there from 2004 to 2006. Basketball was the most popular sport in South Korea in the 1990s, along with Baseball but its popularity has declined since the 2000s. In a 2022 ESPN story on Lee Hyun-jung, at the time starring in NCAA Division I basketball at Davidson College, a writer for Korean basketball magazine Jumpball commented, "In terms of popularity in Korea, if baseball and soccer are like BTS, then basketball is like '90s hair metal."

Volleyball Volleyball is very popular in South Korea. The professional V-League, which comprises both men's and women's competitions, was launched in 2005.

Field Hockey South Korea have achieved success on the continental level in field hockey. The country's achievements include:

Asian Games (Men's):- South Korea has had a significant record in Asian Games, having finished 8 times on the podium of which they won the Gold Medal on 4 occasions. Asian Games (Women's):- Just like in Men's Competition,South Korea have excelled in the women's tournament having won 5 Gold medals and 4 Silver medals. Asia Cup(Men's):- South Korea are the best team in Asia Cup having won the competition 5 times and achieving the podium 9 times in total. Asia Cup(Women's):- Just like in Men's Competition, South Korea are the best team in Asia Cup having won the competition 3 times and achieving the podium 9 times in total. Asian Champions Trophy(Men's):- South Korea have won the Asian Champions Trophy once in 2021 and finished fourth twice. Asian Champions Trophy(Women's):- South Korea have won the Asian Champions Trophy thrice and finished on the podium 4 times in total and thus are the most successful team.

Lacrosse Lacrosse in South Korea is governed by the Korea Lacrosse Association. In 2023, the Korea Lacrosse Association established a domestic Lacrosse sixes League.

South Korea has sent national teams to the Under-19 World Lacrosse Championships.Record 23 lacrosse teams to play at Men's Under-21 World Championship Ali Iveson (Inside the Games), 30 May 2021. Accessed 9 June 2021. The 2025 World Lacrosse Men's U20 Championship was held in Seogwipo, South Korea.

Handball Handball in South Korea is governed by the Korea Handball Federation. The semi-professional H League, which comprises both men's and women's competitions, was established in 2011.

The South Korea women's national handball team was the first non-European country to win the World Championship when they beat Hungary in the final in 1995. The team has won Olympic gold twice, in 1988 and 1992. They also won silver in 1996 and 2004, and bronze at Beijing 2008, making handball South Korea's most successful Olympic team sport. South Korea have also won gold in the women's competition at the Asian Games seven times.

Ice hockey Ice hockey is slowly emerging as a sport in South Korea. HL Anyang became the first non-Japanese club to win the Asia League Ice Hockey championship title. South Korea has four teams participating in the Asia League Ice Hockey championship.

Kabaddi The South Korea national kabaddi team is ranked 3rd in the world. Korea's captain Jang Kun Lee is considered one of the best international players in India's Pro Kabaddi League, where he currently plays for the Bengal Warriors.

At the 2016 Kabaddi World Cup, Korea finished in 3rd place after losing to Iran in the semi-finals. Korea was the only team to beat the eventual winners and world champions, India, in the tournament. Korea was also invited to participate in the 2018 Dubai Kabaddi Masters as one of the top four kabaddi-playing nations in the world.

Esports Esports have found a strong home in South Korea, StarCraft professional competition being the largest example of these. Major corporate sponsored teams and leagues have formed in esports, the most notable leagues being the OnGameNet Starleague, the MBCGame StarCraft League (retired), and Proleague. Some television stations are devoted to broadcasting electronic sports, such as Ongamenet, GomTV, and formerly MBCGame. The Korean e-Sports Association, an arm of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, was founded in 2000 to promote and regulate esports in the country.

Individual sports

Archery South Korea has dominated archery at the international level. As well as consistently strong performances in other international competitions, South Korea has achieved success in archery at the Olympic Games with South Korea winning the women's teams event in the Olympics 10 consecutive times since the event was introduced in 1988.

Fencing In recent years, South Korea has performed well in fencing, winning many medals from recent Olympic Games and World Championships. Gu Bon-gil, Oh Eun-seok and Do Gyeong-dong are Sabre fencer who graduated Osung Middle School or Osung High School in Daegu, Gyeongbuk and taught by Lee Seung-yong.

Golf Golf is very popular in South Korea. It is often thought that this is linked to the fact that golf is considered a status symbol. Membership in golf clubs in South Korea is considerably more expensive than in Japan or the US.

Yang Yong-eun won the 2009 PGA Championship, the first Asian player to win a men's major tournament. K. J. Choi won eight PGA Tour events, including the 2011 Players Championship, and also claimed two top 5s at the Masters Tournament. Yang and Choi were selected for the Presidents Cup international team multiple times.

South Korea is especially strong in women's golf; 47 Koreans play on the world's leading women's tour, the LPGA Tour. Notable players include Pak Se-ri, who won five major tournaments from 1998 to 2006 and 25 LPGA Tour events; Inbee Park, who has won seven major tournaments since 2008 and 21 LPGA Tour events; and Jiyai Shin, Ryu So-yeon, Chun In-gee, Park Sung-hyun and Ko Jin-young, who have won two major tournaments each.

The two professional tours are the Korean Tour for men and the LPGA of Korea Tour for women.

Ice skating