Buffalo 2025 Team Preview: Get to know Korea

The 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships A-Pool will take place from 24-31 May in Buffalo, United States. Hosted in conjunction with USA Hockey at LECOM Harborcenter, the tournament will feature three days of group play followed by three days of playoff contests. The top five finishers from the event will earn qualification spots for the Milano-Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. The bottom three finishers will be forced to compete at the Paralympic Winter Games Qualification Tournament that will take place later in 2025.

It is time to take a close look at Team Korea.

Background 

Korea salvaged a second straight fifth-place finish at last year’s World Championships after failing to win any games in the preliminary round and tallying 11 penalties per contest. Now in search of its first world medal in six years, Korea will look to retain the form it had during its PyeongChang 2018 Paralympic campaign with a veteran cast of players led by well-respected head coach Tahoe Kim. Outside of competition, Korea has helped the sport grow in the last several years, including recently hosting the first-ever World Para Ice Hockey Officiating Camp on its home ice in PyeongChang.

World Championships History

2024: 5th place (A-Pool)
2023: 5th place (A-Pool)
2021: 4th place (A-Pool)
2019: Bronze (A-Pool)
2017: Bronze (A-Pool)
2013: 7th place (A-Pool)
2012: Silver (A-Pool)
2009: 7th place (A-Pool)
2008: 7th place (B-Pool)

😁 Emotions were high yesterday as teams fought for 5th and 7th rank!

Italy came away with the 7th place ranking, while Korea made a comeback to win 5th place.

📸 @perreauxphoto / Hockey Canada Images@HockeyCanada | @ParaSport | #Calgary2024 | #ParaIceHockey pic.twitter.com/zov7TooGiS

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) May 12, 2024

Athlete to Watch

Seung-Hwan Jung, the speedy forward, as been heralded as the team’s athlete to watch for the last decade so there’s no question in highlighting him here. The anchor skater of many international tournaments for Korea, he led the squad at last year’s World Championships with eight points (four goals, four assists) — the most of any skater not from Canada or the U.S. —  converting on 25 percent of the shots he took.

Matchup to Watch 

Korea will face defending champions Canada in its second preliminary round game on Sunday, May 25. The two teams did not play each other at last year’s World Championships, and this game could prove to be a deciding one in who advances to the semifinals.

Game Schedule

Saturday, 24 May
20:30 - China vs. Korea

Sunday, 25 May
17:00 - Korea vs. Canada

Tuesday, 27 May
20:30 - Germany vs. Korea

More information about the Buffalo 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championships can be found here.