South Korea lost to Japan 2-1 to end their campaign in the East Asian Cup on Sunday.
 
Japan scored the winning goal in the 91st minute during injury-time to capture its first title in the tournament.
 
South Korea finished third in points with one loss and two draws in the four-nation showdown, behind Japan and China and ahead of Australia.
 
The East Asian Cup was the South Korean national team’s first A-match tournament under the new leadership of Coach Hong Myung-bo. Mainly Japan-based South Korean players were mobilized for the tournament. East Asian Cup matches are not FIFA-protected, so European clubs are not obligated to send their Asian players to the tournament. 
 
Coach Hong must now prepare a roster for a friendly match with Peru in Suwon City on August 14th.
 
Hong hinted in a news conference after South Korea’s loss to Japan that European-based players won't be called up for the Peru match.