SEOUL (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - The 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup is just around the corner. In the lead-up to the biggest international basketball event, we take an individual look at all 24 teams.

Country: Korea
FIBA bwin Ranking Men: No. 31
Last participation in the FIBA Basketball World Cup: 1998 (0 wins, 5 defeats; 16th place)
Best result in the history of the FIBA Basketball World Cup: 11th Place (1970)
Result in qualifying tournament for 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup: 3rd place at 2013 FIBA Asia Championship (5 wins, 2 defeats)

Korea will be one of the underdogs at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Making their first appearance in the tournament in more than a decade, the team will compete in Group D in Gran Canaria with a very different look to the squad that finished third at last year's FIBA Asia Championship in Manila.

Promising young point guard Kim Mingoo, an All-Tournament selection in the Philippines, is recovering from injuries sustained in a car accident and will not be able to play, while big man Lee Seung Jun is also fighting his way back to full fitness after hurting his ankle back in February. The duo accounted for 20.6 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists in Manila.

Returning to the fray in place of naturalized player Lee is Moon Taejong (also known as Jarod Stevenson), a 39-year-old sharpshooting guard who can also log minutes at small forward. While he is likely to come off the bench, Moon may end up playing the sort of minutes that are usually afforded to a starter.

The loss of Lee places more importance on the play of 23-year-old Kim Jongkyu, a 2.07m center on the books of the Korean Basketball League’s (KBL) LG Sakers.

Korea coach Yoo Jae Hak said in the build-up to the World Cup that Kim had worked on his conditioning and become more assertive this year after playing for his university and joining the professional ranks.

Harder games in the KBL against strong players from abroad have toughened Kim up.

Back on the perimeter, Kim Sunghyung has the opportunity to increase his value to the team, especially with Kim Mingoo out.

Yoo will be looking for Kim Sunghyung - a player who normally comes off the bench - to provide energy on defense and scoring. He is particularly effective in the open court.

While Moon is the oldest in the Korean squad, he is not the only senior statesman.

Yang Donggeun (33), Kim Joo-Sung (35) and Cho Sungmin (31) also offer plenty of experience.

Their age is no concern for Yoo, who has stated that they like they are still in their mid-20s.

The World Cup represents a huge opportunity for Korea because the players will be able to test themselves against formidable sides in Gran Canaria.

They will go up against Slovenia, Lithuania, Australia, Angola and Mexico. Yoo's team will firmly believe that they have a fighting chance to win against the latter two.

While the 24-team tournament is the top competition in international basketball, Korea also have something else coming up. They will be the host nation for the Asian Games in Incheon and under a lot of pressure to perform well in front of their fans.

FIBA