Son, the top seed at the SK Handball Stadium, has not won a big tournament since reaching the summit of the rankings in May of this year.

The 29-year-old, who won bronze at last month's World Championships in Glasgow, faces a tricky opening round clash with China's former world junior champion Huang Yuxiang in the South Korean capital.

His task at the seventh Super Series tournament of the season could have been made easier, however, by the withdrawals of respective second and third seeds Lee Chong Wei and Viktor Axelsen.

Malaysia's Lee has won Olympic silver on three occasions but suffered a shock first round exit at the World Championships in the Scottish city, an event Denmark's Axelsen went on to win.

It means Chinese Taipei's fourth seed Chou Tien-chen could provide Son with his sternest competition, with the Taiwanese player facing Brice Leverdez of France in round one.

It was Leverdez who stunned Lee at the World Championships so Chou cannot expect an easy assignment. 

Rio 2016 gold medallist Chen Long is not competing, and nor is compatriot Lin Dan, a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion who lost to Axelsen in the Glasgow final.

In the women's event, Japan's newly crowned world champion Nozomi Okuhara is among the field and seeded eighth.

She will play Zhang Beiwen of the United States in round one.

India's Olympic silver medallist P.V Sindhu, who Okuhara beat in the World Championship final, will play Cheung Ngan Yi of Hong Kong after being seeded fifth.

World number one Tai Tzu-ying will also be among the players to beat.

The Chinese Taipei player opted to skip the World Championships to play in the Universiade on home soil, where she won the gold medal.

The top seed's first round match will be against Saena Kawakami of Japan.

Olympic champion Carolina Marin of Spain has withdrawn.

Competition will take place until September 17.