Four-time champion Korea went through the proverbial eye of the needle to hack out a thrilling 21-25, 25-14, 25-14, 39-41, 20-18 triumph over Qatar and remain unscathed in Pool D of the 15th Asian Men’s Senior Volleyball Championships on Monday at the San Andres gym.

The Koreans started sluggishly in the first set, blew hot in the next two, but fell short in the tightly-fought fourth set before prevailing in the decider to record their second straight win.

Third placers in last year edition in Jakarta, Indonesia, the Koreans sent a strong warning of their bid to regain the crown by dumping Maldives, 25-11, 25-13, 25-12, in the opener last Sunday.

Kim Yo-han fired 30 kills and four blocks for the Koreans, who encountered some anxious moments in the deciding set when Qatar’s Yagoub Ali came through with one booming shots after another.

But the Koreans kept their composure until Qatar’s team captain Al-Hitmi Saed committed an error that sealed their doom.

Both squads showed resiliency in the two-hour match that saw the fourth set ending in a marathon, 41-39 score, in favor of the Qataris.

Mohammed Jumah led the Qataris with 23 kills, but his effort proved not enough to overcome the Korans.

Earlier, Southeast Asian powerhouse Indonesia dominated Thailand, 25-23, 25-21, 25-20, to score its second win in Pool B.

Rizal Ayip and Muhammad Riviansyah spearheaded the Indons with 13 and 12 kills, respectively.

Meanwhile, host Philippines tries to bounce back from an opening day loss when it clashes with Kazakshtan in Pool A on Tuesday.

Game time is at 2 p.m. with the Filipinos hoping not to disappoint their fans despite having lack of practice and international exposures for two years.

The RP team bowed SEAG rival Myanmar in five sets, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-17, Sunday night.