Pakistan scored three goals in the first half, then held off South Korea's rally attempt for a 3-2 win at the Sultan Azlan Shah field hockey tournament in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Three-time champion Pakistan opened the scoring in the second minute Saturday with a penalty corner strike by Mohammed Imran.
Kang Seong Jung tied the match for South Korea from a penalty corner in the 13th minute, but Shakeel Abbasi and Akhtar Ali each tallied to give Pakistan the 3-1 lead at halftime.
South Korea launched a fierce attack in the second half, and it paid off when Jang Jong Hyun scored off a penalty corner to narrow the deficit to 3-2 in the 44th minute.
The Koreans swarmed in search of the equalizer, but Pakistan goalkeeper Salman Akhbar made several good saves late in game to seal the 3-2 victory.
Pakistan leads the standings with six points from its two matches, while India and Australia are tied for second place with four points each.
Some information for this report provided by AP.