Almotamar.net Agencies - South Korea was stunned by Yemen 1-0 in a group-stage Olympic football qualifier in the Yemeni capital of Sana'a on Wednesday but the result will not affect its move into the final qualifying round.

The match with Yemen was not a serious encounter for the South Koreans who had already secured a spot in the final qualifying round with a record of four wins in their group which also includes the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

The South Koreans will meet the United Arab Emirates in their final group-stage match in Seoul on June 6 but the outcome will never affect its top group standing.

In the Asian preliminaries, 24 countries are competing in six groups, with the two top teams from each group advancing to the final qualifying round. The winners and runners-up from each group will then be drawn into three groups, with the three winners of those groups qualifying for the 16-nation Olympic finals next year.

Yaser Bashaye scored Yemen's winning goal five minutes before the first-half whistle when he took a pass and fired a shot past South Korean goalkeeper Song You-gul into the top right corner of the net.

The Koreans pressed for an equalizer but were unable to break through Yemen's defense line.

Meanwhile, North Korea confirmed their advance to the final round of 12 nations with a scoreless draw with Thailand in a home match at Kim Il Sung Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, the North Korea Central News Agency reported.

North Korea, in Group E along with Iraq, India and Thailand, beat Thailand and India and drew with Iraq and Thailand to increase their points to 11. The team has one more group match, an away game against Iraq on June 6.

In Group B, Japan confirmed their top spot with a fifth consecutive victory while Syria and Malaysia are competing fiercely for second place.

As for Group D, dubbed the 'group of death' in the preliminary round, Australia beat Iran 3-1 to surge into second place, pushing football powerhouse Iran to the brink of elimination.

For Iran to advance to the final round, they need a win over Saudi Arabia and a victory by Jordan over Australia on June 6.

The final round of qualification is scheduled to take place from Aug. 22 to Nov. 21 in a home-and-away game format.