South Korea

South Korea is a country in East Asia. Seoul is the capital and largest city.

History of hockey in South Korea
The Korean Ice Hockey Association was founded in 1928, but the country did not join the IIHF until July 25, 1960.

The first tournament was held in 1946. The Korea Domestic Championship has been contested since 1955. It is open to both university and professional teams. The Korean Ice Hockey League also previously existed alongside the Domestic Championship until it folded in 2003. Since the 2003-04 season, the top Korean teams have participated in the multi-national Asia League, which also has teams from China and Japan. Anyang Halla won the Asia League in 2010, and was co-champions with the Tohoku Free Blades in 2011.

The men's national team first participated in the World Championships in 1979, playing in Pool C. They next participated in 1982, and have appeared annually since 1985. In 2012, they won the Division IB tournament, and were promoted to Division IA for 2013. They have participated in all seven Asian Winter Games, winning the bronze medal four times.

The women's national team made its international debut in 1999, playing in the Asian Winter Games. They also participated in the Asian Winter Games in 2007 and 2011. In 2004, the country made its debut at the Women's World Championships. Their best finish was third in Division IIB in 2012. They participated in the IIHF Women's Challenge Cup of Asia in 2011 and 2012, taking third place in the 2011 edition.

The junior national team made its debut at the World Junior Championships in 1990, playing in Pool C. The U18 national team had success at the IIHF Asian Oceanic U18 Championships, which existed from 1984-2002, winning a total of 14 medals, including two golds. In the 1998 tournament, in which they won gold, they defeated Thailand by a score of 92-0, which still remains an international record for most goals scored and largest margin of victory.