Sunderland have been beaten 1-0 by Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma in the opening game of their pre-season tour.
The decisive moment came on the half-hour mark, when Everton Santos pounced on a loose ball inside the area and smashed past Steve Mignolet.
Kieron Richardson, Connor Wickham and Craig Gardner all hit the woodwork for the Black Cats, who paced themselves in the Suwon heat.
Ultimately, they could not force an equaliser, which means that Seongnam will contest the Peace Cup final against either Hamburg or Groningen.
Sunderland's next game will be a third & fourth-placed playoff on Sunday.
