Bahrain opened the scoring three minutes after the hour mark as Faouzi Aiash converted from the spot before Kim Jung-woo pulled Korea level with 10 minutes remaining.

Bahrain regained their lead three minutes later through Abdulrahman Mubarak but Lee struck in the second minute of stoppage time.

Next Wednesday in the final round of World Cup qualifiers, Bahrain will face fellow Group One strugglers Uzbekistan in Tashkent while Group Two leaders Korea Republic face second-placed Iran in Tehran.