The South Korea national football team has appeared 14 times at the Asian Cup. They have failed to qualify for the finals on three occasions, in 1968, 1976 and 1992. South Korea won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 1956, held in Hong Kong, and successfully defended the title on home soil in 1960. In addition, the team finished as runners-up on four occasions. Competitive record Details 1956 (Hong Kong) South Koreans are inaugural champions of the Asian Cup. South Korea had unfavorable schedule that required them to meet their largest rivals Israel two days after playing their first match, but defeated Israel. 1960 (South Korea) South Korea won their second consecutive title, and a South Korean forward Cho Yoon-ok became the top goalscorer. However, South Korean players received fake medals, and returned the medals to the Korean FA. The KFA gave real medals to their families in 2019. 1964 (Israel) The 1964 Asian Cup was held when South Korea had to play the Olympic qualifier against South Vietnam. The Korean FA sent the reserve team to the competition. 1972 (Thailand) 1980 (Kuwait) South Korea won all matches from the second match to the semi-finals including a match against the host Kuwait. However, they lost in the final where they met Kuwait again. Their 18-year-old striker Choi Soon-ho became the youngest scoring champion in Asian Cup history. 1984 (Singapore) South Koreans left their worst result in the 1984 tournament. They got no victory and made only one goal. 1988 (Qatar) South Koreans got a chance to win their third title again after winning all matches until the semi-finals, but they lost the final to Saudi Arabia after the penalty shoot-out. This was the third time for South Korea to finish as runners-up. Their new star player Kim Joo-sung was named the Most Valuable Player. 1996 (United Arab Emirates) Before the 1996 tournament, the Korean FA appointed Park Jong-hwan as the new manager. Park was evaluated as the greatest South Korean manager at the time by leading Ilhwa Chunma to three consecutive K League titles, but he disappointed his country in the competition. South Korea finished their group stage in third place, showing shaky start. In the quarter-finals, South Korea held a 2–1 lead against Iran at half-time, but they conceded five goals in the second half including Ali Daei's four goals. After the disaster, Park resigned as manager, and