South Korean boxing claims 2 silvers at Asian Games, first finals in 12 years

South Korean boxing added two silver medals Friday, reaching the Asian Games finals for the first time in 12 years — but falling short of gold. The last time Korean boxers made the final was at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games, when Shin Jong-hun and Ham Sang-myung both won gold.

Jang Dong-hwan lost to Abdulmalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan by a unanimous decision of 0-5 (27-30 27-30 27-30 28-29 27-30) in the men's 60kg final at Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio, Aichi Prefecture, Japan.

The opening round was fiercely contested — one of the five judges scored it 10-9 in Jang's favor. The gap widened from the second round onward, with all five judges giving that round to Khalokov 10-9. In the third round, Khalokov adopted a time-wasting strategy to protect his lead, and all five judges scored the final round in his favor as well, sealing the unanimous decision.

Kim Min-sung of Korea National Sport University also had to settle for silver after a narrow defeat in the men's 80kg final. Kim fought hard against India's Ankush but lost 0-4 (26-30 28-28 26-30 26-30 26-30) on the judges' scorecards.