Lee Eun-ji of South Korea (left) reacts after competing in the heats for the women's 200-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A in Fukuoka, Japan, on Friday. (Yonhap)

South Korea's Lee Eun-ji made it to her first semifinals of the ongoing swimming world championships in Japan on Friday.

Lee finished 14th in the heats for the women's 200-meter backstroke at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, with a time of 2:11.78. The top 16 swimmers from the heats advanced to the semifinals scheduled for Friday evening at Marine Messe Fukuoka Hall A.

This was Lee's third individual race in Fukuoka and her first trip to the semifinals. The 17-year-old had earlier been eliminated in the heats in the 50m and 100m backstroke races.

At last year's world championships, Lee competed in the semifinals in all three distances.

Earlier Friday, Kim Young-beom missed out on the semifinals in the men's 100m butterfly, after finishing 31st in the heats at 52.80 seconds. (Yonhap)