TOKYO - South Korea defeated Japan 34-21 on Tuesday to secure a place in the women's handball tournament at the Beijing Olympics.

South Korea's Kim On-a (C) passes the ball as Japan's Akane Aoto (L) tries to block while her teammate Yuko Arihama watches at the women's Asian Olympic qualification handball tournament for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Tokyo January 29, 2008. South Korea won an Olympic berth. [Agencies]

Tuesday's game was a replay of Asian Olympic qualifiers that were initially held in September last year, when referees from Jordan and Iran were brought in at the last minute by the Asian Handball Federation to replace German referees.

Their disputed calls helped Kuwait win the men's tournament and Kazakhstan the women's, qualifying them for August's Olympics in Beijing.

In December, the International Handball Federation ordered replays of the qualifiers.

Japan could still qualify for the Olympics through a final round of Asian qualifiers in March.

The AHF, headed by Kuwaiti prince Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, has denied match fixing and has said it will punish countries taking part in the replays.

Only Japan and South Korea took part in the replays. Japan's men's team will take on South Korea on Wednesday.

The IHF, in a recent letter to the Asian federation, declared it is the "only body endorsing the results of the continental qualifying tournaments for Olympic Games and World Championships."