South Korea has won its second straight game in group play at the 17th Asian Women’s Junior Handball Championship.
South Korea defeated Kazakhstan 44-26 in their second pool match on the third day of the tournament in Hong Kong on Sunday (Feb. 2).
The Koreans, who defeated 메이저놀이터 host Hong Kong 46-9 two days earlier, are second in the group with two wins behind Japan (three).
Korea was led by Kim Min-seo (Samcheok City Hall), Lee Hye-won (Daegu City Hall), and Kim Seo-jin (Ilshin Girls’ High School), who each scored seven goals.
Kim was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) with seven goals and five assists.
Kim was named the tournament MVP after leading South Korea to the title at last year’s World Women’s Youth Championship in North Macedonia.
She also swept the MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in the 2022-2023 SK Korea League regular season.
At the 10-nation tournament, Korea was drawn in Group A alongside Japan, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, and Kuwait.
The top five nations will qualify for the 2024 World Women’s Junior Championship in North Macedonia.
South Korea will play Japan on Thursday in their third group game.
South Korea has won 15 of the previous 16 editions of the tournament, with the exception of 2022, when it missed out.
The team did not compete in 2022 due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. A victory would mark the first time in four years since 2019, when they won the 15th edition.