Lee scored a goal in each half while stand-in skipper Park Ji-sung and Kwak Tae-hee netted one apiece to give the South Koreans their first win in Group Two of the Asian qualifiers following an opening 1-1 draw with North Korea last month.

Ismail Al Hammadi netted the lone response for UAE, whose World Cup prospects appear remote after suffering their third straight loss of the campaign.

Lee was denied by UAE goalkeeper Majed Naser in the 18th minute, but the Daegu FC forward gave Naser no chance two minutes later when he was played through by Lee Chung-yong's neat pass and finished with a powerful shot that flew in at the near post.

Park, who captained the team in the absence of the suspended Kim Nam-il, extended his team's lead eight minutes later, firing into the roof of the net after Basheer Saeed failed to clear a Lee Young-pyo cross.

The hosts dominated proceedings and should have extended their lead in the second half as Ki Sung-yueng's lob came back off the crossbar, Kim Hyeung-bum's free-kick was tipped over by Naser and Kim Dong-jin's header was cleared off the line by Amir Mubarak.

UAE were handed a lifeline when an error by Cho Yong-hyung allowed Al Hammadi to round goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong and put the ball into an empty net in the 71st minute.

But it was to prove only a consolation as Lee fired his second past Naser in the 80th minute after being released down the right by Park, before Kwak headed in Kim's cross from the left with two minutes remaining.