| China–South Korea football rivalry | |
| Other Names: | Konghanzheng |
| City Or Region: | Asia (AFC) East Asia (EAFF) |
| First Contested: | 17 December 1978 1978 Asian Games South Korea 1–0 China |
| Teams Involved: | |
| Top Scorer: |  Lee Tae-ho (4) |
| Mostrecent: | 11 June 2024 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification South Korea 1–0 China |
| Nextmeeting: | July 2025 2025 EAFF E-1 Football Championship South Korea v China |
| Total: | 38 |
| Series: | China: 2 South Korea: 23 Draw: 13 |
| Map Location: | Asia |
| Map Label1: | China |
| Map Label1 Position: | left |
| Map Label2: | South Korea |
| Map Label2 Position: | right |
| Coordinates1: | 39°N 116°W |
| Coordinates2: | 37°N 126°W |
| Pattern B1: | _kor2012h |
| Pattern Sh1: | _kor2012h |
| Leftarm1: | EE1111 |
| Body1: | EE1111 |
| Rightarm1: | EE1111 |
| Shorts1: | 1111EE |
| Socks1: | EE1111 |
| Title1: | South Korea |
| Pattern La2: | _peter1011a |
| Pattern B2: | _chn12h |
| Pattern Ra2: | _peter1011a |
| Pattern Sh2: | _chn12h |
| Pattern So2: | _3_stripes_white |
| Leftarm2: | FF0000 |
| Body2: | FF0000 |
| Rightarm2: | FF0000 |
| Shorts2: | FF0000 |
| Socks2: | FF0000 |
| Title2: | China--> |
The China–South Korea football rivalry is a sports rivalry between the men's national association football teams of each country. The rivalry is commonly referred to as Konghanzheng (; Korean: 공한증) or Korea-fearing symptom due to how common it is for the China national team to lose to the South Korea national team.[1] Over the 38 official matches they have played against each other, China has only won twice.
The term "Konghanzheng" literally means "the symptom of fearing Korea". This term was originally used by the Chinese mass media and was later adopted by the Korean media as well.[2] While this term may be seen as an effort to diminish the achievements of the Korean side, the Chinese media has historically taken a positive attitude acknowledging the Korean team's preeminence among East Asian sides.[3]
In Korea, this term is often used as a general term for national victory, as when Korean baseball fans express a desire to create Koreaphobia among the Japanese.[4] This concept is also paired with the Korean Wave (Hallyu) in Korean discourse regarding their relationship with China and other Asian countries.[5]
Lin Xiaohua, the vice chairman of Chinese Football Association said before the match on 10 February 2010, "Koreaphobia comes from the differences in ability, now that becomes much narrower. Therefore, if the mentality is enhanced, our team can overcome Koreanphobia". He also said that the association will invite psychotherapists for the China national football team to cope with the psychological pressure and defeatism for the future.[6] [7] Immediately after his announcement, China defeated South Korea for the first time in their history.[8]
On 23 March 2017, China defeated South Korea for the first time in an official FIFA competitive match by a score of 1–0 in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification tournament.
| Venue | China wins | South Korea wins | Draws | China goals | South Korea goals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At China home | 1 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 20 | |
| At South Korea home | 0 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 14 | |
| Neutral venue | 1 | 9 | 6 | 13 | 22 | |
| Total[9] [10] | 2 | 23 | 13 | 26 | 56 |
| width=5% | No. | width=15% | Date | width=15% | Competition | width=20% | width=10% | Result | width=20% | width=15% | Venue | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 December 1978 | 1978 Asian Games | 1–0 | Bangkok, Thailand | |||||||||
| 2 | 29 December 1978 | 1980 AFC Asian Cup qualification | 1–0 | Manila, Philippines | |||||||||
| 3 | 1 March 1982 | 1982 Nehru Cup | 1–1 | Calcutta, India | |||||||||
| 4 | 3 November 1983 | 1984 Summer Olympics qualification | 3–3 | Bangkok, Thailand | |||||||||
| 5 | 8 November 1983 | 0–0 | Bangkok, Thailand | ||||||||||
| 6 | 28 September 1986 | 1986 Asian Games | 4–2 | Seoul, South Korea | |||||||||
| 7 | 14 December 1988 | 1988 AFC Asian Cup | 2–1 | Doha, Qatar | |||||||||
| 8 | 20 October 1989 | 1990 FIFA World Cup qualification | 1–0 | Singapore | |||||||||
| 9 | 31 July 1990 | 1990 Dynasty Cup | 1–0 | Beijing, China | |||||||||
| 10 | 3 August 1990 | 1–1 | Beijing, China | ||||||||||
| 11 | 27 September 1990 | 1990 Asian Games | 2–0 | Beijing, China | |||||||||
| 12 | 26 August 1992 | 1992 Dynasty Cup | 2–0 | Beijing, China | |||||||||
| 13 | 19 February 1995 | 1995 Dynasty Cup | 0–0 | Hong Kong | |||||||||
| 14 | 25 September 1996 | Friendly | 3–1 | Seoul, South Korea | |||||||||
| 15 | 26 November 1996 | 3–2 | Guangzhou, China | ||||||||||
| 16 | 23 April 1997 | 2–0 | Beijing, China | ||||||||||
| 17 | 30 August 1997 | 0–0 | Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||
| 18 | 4 March 1998 | 1998 Dynasty Cup | 2–1 | Yokohama, Japan | |||||||||
| 19 | 4 June 1998 | Friendly | 1–1 | Seoul, South Korea | |||||||||
| 20 | 22 November 1998 | 0–0 | Shanghai, China | ||||||||||
| 21 | 28 July 2000 | 1–0 | Beijing, China | ||||||||||
| 22 | 13 October 2000 | 2000 AFC Asian Cup | 2–2 | Tripoli, Lebanon | |||||||||
| 23 | 29 October 2000 | 1–0 | Beirut, Lebanon | ||||||||||
| 24 | 27 April 2002 | Friendly | 0–0 | Incheon, South Korea | |||||||||
| 25 | 7 December 2003 | 2003 EAFF Championship | 1–0 | Saitama, Japan | |||||||||
| 26 | 31 July 2005 | 2005 EAFF Championship | 1–1 | Daejon, South Korea | |||||||||
| 27 | 17 February 2008 | 2008 EAFF Championship | 3–2 | Chongqing, China | |||||||||
| 28 | 10 February 2010 | 2010 EAFF Championship | 0–3 | Tokyo, Japan | |||||||||
| 29 | 24 July 2013 | 2013 EAFF Championship | 0–0 | Hwaseong, South Korea | |||||||||
| 30 | 2 August 2015 | 2015 EAFF Championship | 2–0 | Wuhan, China | |||||||||
| 31 | 1 September 2016 | 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification | 3–2 | Seoul, South Korea | |||||||||
| 32 | 23 March 2017 | 0–1 | Changsha, China | ||||||||||
| 33 | 9 December 2017 | 2017 EAFF Championship | 2–2 | Tokyo, Japan | |||||||||
| 34 | 16 January 2019 | 2019 AFC Asian Cup | 2–0 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | |||||||||
| 35 | 15 December 2019 | 2019 EAFF Championship | 1–0 | Busan, South Korea | |||||||||
| 36 | 20 July 2022 | 2022 EAFF Championship | 3–0 | Toyota, Japan | |||||||||
| 37 | 21 November 2023 | 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification | 3–0 | Shenzhen, China | |||||||||
| 38 | 11 June 2024 | 1–0 | Seoul, South Korea | ||||||||||
| 39 | July 2025 | 2025 EAFF Championship | TBD | South Korea |