Korean baseball is in crisis. In the first round of Group B of the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), it recorded two wins and two losses, ranking third in the group. It failed to advance to the second round, where the quarterfinals were competing, and had to return home early in a bundle. It was eliminated from the first round for the third time in a row following the 2013 and 2017 WBC.

Korean baseball succeeded in advancing to the semifinals at the first WBC tournament in 2006 and won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while Korean baseball, which was runner-up at the 2009 WBC, has been in a slump on the world stage for 10 years.There are many reasons why the Korean baseball team lost at 2023WBC.
Above all, the problem was the weak mound without a reliable ace pitcher.The Korean national baseball team scored seven points in the first round of the WBC finals against Australia at the Tokyo Dome on March 9, but lost after giving up eight points. Despite putting as many as seven pitchers in the match against Australia, which was a watershed for advancing to the quarterfinals, they failed to beat Australia’s bat, which was considered one step below. In the second game against Japan on March 10, even after scoring three points first, the pitching staff fell into a row and lost 4-13. Team Korea also conceded three points in Game 3 against the ‘weak’ Czech Republic, which consists of amateur players. Korean baseball performed well in international competitions when the national team’s pitching power was strong.

The sweetness of success that led to the 2006 WBC, which succeeded in advancing to the semifinals, the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which won the gold medal, and the 2009 WBC runner-up was based on a solid mound. Major pitchers such as Bong Joong-geun, Jung Hyun-wook, Ryu Hyun-jin and Kim Kwang-hyun proved the strong side of Korean baseball with special ace-like pitching in every important game. The first reason why Team Korea was eliminated in the first round at 2023WBC was that there was no entirely reliable ace following the collapse of the 2017 WBC, where Kim Kwang-hyun and others were absent due to injuries. In the process of preparing for the 2023 WBC, the Korean national team made a wrong decision as a result. They set up a camp in Arizona, the U.S., where there is a 17 hour time difference from Tokyo, Japan, where the first round will be held. KT Wiz, the KBO League team of national team manager Lee Kang-chul, is training there, so they could play the role of the national team coach and his team coach together. However, the two-week off-season training in Arizona was ruined due to bad weather conditions in the region. Above all, pitchers failed to pitch properly. There was a rare scene in which pitchers went on pitching training all at once on a sunny day because there were no indoor pitching training facilities in the local camp. Even when returning home from off-season training, the plane was unable to fly due to weather problems, forcing it to travel 530 miles (about 850 kilometers) from Tucson, Arizona, by bus for eight hours. He played the first round in Tokyo without having to adjust his condition due to fatigue and jet lag caused by long-distance travel, so he couldn’t be better. Manager Lee Kang-chul and KBO are responsible for the mistake in selecting the off-season training site. When the Korean national baseball team returned home via Incheon International Airport on March 14, few fans came out. they was worried about throwing eggs or swearing, but it was quiet.The return of the national team, which had no criticism or encouragement, reflected the cold hearts of baseball fans. Criticism also comes with affection and interest. Indifference will be the biggest crisis facing Korean baseball.

Doug Hwang
Staff Writer

Currently, a series of promising pitchers who can throw more than 150 kilometers are emerging in the Korean amateur baseball world. A number of promising pitchers come out every year.

Currently, there are many promising players in high school baseball that can catch the attention of the Major League. Shim Joon-seok, Kim Seo-hyun, and Shin Young-woo are attracting attention from the Major League as well as the KBO League. It is evaluated that it can lead to a sense of power immediately enough. However, the reality is that there are no promising batters. It is a cold analysis that there are no good hitters who can hit a light ball that is more than 150km properly and make a good ball. Probably because most of the U.S. major leagues were pitchers. (Chan-ho Park, Byung-hyun Kim, Jae-eung-seo, Sun-woo Kim, Hyun-jin Ryu) Pitcher Hee-seop Choi, Choi, Shin Soo-chu, and some players are playing in the U.S. Major League after several years.However, he seems to think that success as a batter is difficult except for a few fielders.Of course, Ha Sung-Kim is a brilliant multi-infielder (3rd base, shortstop, 2nd base) after going through Korean professional baseball in the San Diego Padres. However, he is evaluated as a backup player rather than a main player, and in comparison, he is okay. It seems that he is still adjusting to hitting.

Scout A said, “I think the absence of a power heater is something that the Korean baseball community should seriously consider. That phenomenon has intensified in recent years. There was Kim Do-young last year, but it was difficult to see him as a typical power hitter. High school baseball resources that can grow into big guns are gradually decreasing. It is safe to say that the seeds have dried up recently. If there is no power heater, it can be a problem for the league’s box office. Currently, the number of typical home run hitters in the KBO league is gradually decreasing. I think this is a phenomenon that occurs as the number of players who are likely to grow in amateurs continues to decrease. I think it’s time to think about whether there is a problem with the coaching method or the players’ choices. Recognizing that it is a crisis in Korean baseball, I think we should consider the problem of the absence of a power heater. I’m just a passing guest, but shouldn’t Korean baseball maintain its roots? As a person who cares about the KBO League and Korean baseball, I’m really worried about this,” he said.

It is clear that pitching power is the priority of all teams. Only when he has pitching power can he challenge for the championship. In any team, pitchers are treated better. Good resources are joining each team one after another every year.

However, home run hitters are very rare. It is now difficult to find a player who is considered a definite big gun.

Players who have the advantage of defense and base running are entering the professional league, but it has been a long time since finding a power heater has become a power heater. Han Dong-hee and Noh Si-hwan can be the last generation. Han Dong-hee and Roh Si-hwan also need to learn more from professionals to grow into typical home run hitters.

It has become difficult to find a power heater in high school baseball to the extent that Major League scouts are worried. It is a serious situation that can be directly connected to the success of the KBO League.

Scout A said, “I’m not just talking about high school seniors right now. Reports keep coming up that it is difficult to find a possible batter among the first and second graders. Reinforcing power heaters in Korean high school baseball is tantamount to giving up. Power heaters do not necessarily have to come to the Major League, but I think they should also have a sense of crisis in the KBO League. Leaders should think about why there is no good power heater coming out and think about it.

KS CHOI

ASIA JOURNAL

The Korea Women’s Baseball Federation said, “On June 18, the 2022 Women’s Baseball Festival will be held for women in the first baseball field of Nanji Hangang Park in Seoul. If you’re a woman who likes and enjoys baseball, you’re the star of this event.”

The event is hosted and organized by the Korea Women’s Baseball Federation under the purpose of “activating women’s baseball and expanding the base,” and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. In line with the purpose of the event, various experiences and events were held so that women could not only watch baseball but also participate in person.It has already been 15 years since the federation was formed, and festivals are held steadily every year. Led by the sixth chairman (Jung Hee-hwang), the vice president of the administration, the advisors of the first to fifth former chairmen, and former professional baseball leaders are composed of advisors.

Among several countries (US/Korea/Japan/Taiwan) where Korean players play in the U.S. Major League and have professional leagues, popular sports baseball will already be of constant interest to the public. Of course, it may be considered a spectator sport, but the U.S./Japan, which already has a solid foundation and base beyond women’s participation and fostering sports as players, has a considerable number of domestic leagues and players. It is regrettable that in Korea, it is still supported by the government as part of social sports, or hobbies.

However, even with poor support such as players and coaches, passion and effort can be felt great. Of course, the annual women’s baseball festival is seen as a representative event for it

The opening ceremony was held at 1 p.m. on the 18th. Various events and events are held before and after the opening ceremony. Women’s baseball promotion and experience zones and flea markets were held at the square around the first baseball stadium in Nanji Hangang Park. Then, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the 18th, the Women’s Baseball Promotion and Experience Zone will be operated, allowing various people, including women’s baseball players as well as family and friends, to enjoy baseball together. The federation gave small souvenirs to participants who participated in events and experiences

After the opening ceremony, there was a friendly match between women’s national baseball players and youth baseball players, and it was a place where you could see the present and future of women’s baseball in one place.

The festival lasted until the 26th. On the 19th, 25th, and 26th, women’s baseball players played as scheduled at Nanji Hangang Park 1st Baseball Stadium and Hwaseong Dream Park Women’s Stadium. The game was watched for free.

KILSUNG CHOI

ASIA JOURNAL

Korean winter sports speed skating star (Sanghwa) and Japanese star (Nao Kodaira) were rivals in the world championships and the Olympics, but they are showing off their strong friendship to support and encourage each other. They have different nationalities, but at the crossroads of injury and retirement, the two continued to warm up once again at the PyeongChang Olympics and this Beijing Winter Olympics, and they could see their sincerity with hot tears. And as long as it’s ambiguous.We also look forward to this politically in our relationship.

Prime Minister Kim Bu-kyum said on the 22nd about Korea-Japan relations, “I hope it will serve as an opportunity to resolve the Korea-Japan relationship that was blocked when Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Hayashi were present.”

When asked at a meeting of the Seoul Foreign Journalists Club held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea’s Prime Minister Kim replied, “Prime Minister Kishida and Hayashi are politicians who value friendly and good relations among Northeast Asian countries.”

Prime Minister Kim also said, “The two countries acknowledge that there are much more things that they have cooperated with, leaving different positions, and I think there are many issues for politicians at the time to talk together,” adding, “We need some symbolic measures that can trust each other and understand.”

Citing the late Lee Soo-hyun, who died while saving Japanese in the past, and the recent case of “Lee Sang-hwa-Kodaira” at the Beijing Winter Olympics speed skating, he said, “The next generation of Korea has shown that they can be trusted friends with each other. “Politicians should not widen the gap between the citizens of both countries for their political reasons,” he stressed.

Prime Minister Kim Bu-kyum said on the 22nd about Korea-Japan relations, “I hope it will serve as an opportunity to resolve the Korea-Japan relationship that was blocked when Japanese Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Hayashi were present.”

When asked at a meeting of the Seoul Foreign Journalists Club held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, Prime Minister Kim replied, “Prime Minister Kishida and Foreign Minister Hayashi are politicians who value friendly and good relations among Northeast Asian countries.”

Prime Minister Kim also said, “The two countries acknowledge that there are much more things that they have cooperated with, leaving different positions, and I think there are many issues for politicians at the time to talk together,” adding, “We need some symbolic measures that can trust each other and understand.”

Citing the late Lee Soo-hyun, who died while saving Japanese in the past, and the recent case of “Lee Sang-hwa-Kodaira” at the Beijing Winter Olympics speed skating, he said, “The next generation of Korea has shown that they can be trusted friends with each other. “Politicians should not widen the gap between the citizens of both countries for their political reasons,” he stressed.

“I have a lot of regrets about the current situation in Korea-Japan relations,” he said. Prime Minister Kim said, “Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1965, we have shared the values of human rights, democracy, and market economy over the past decades.

We have grown together into a responsible country in Northeast Asia. “Past history issues, court decisions related to this,

Problems such as trade conflicts between Korea and Japan are homeworks that must be solved for the long-term future of Korea-Japan relations, he said.

“The end-of-war declaration will be the best momentum to resolve the deadlock on the Korean Peninsula and resume various talks,” he said. “It is because it shows the will of the parties to end hostilities and promote mutual trust to denuclearize and establish peace on the Korean Peninsula.” “Our government will do its best to create the conditions until the end,” he said. Regarding inter-Korean relations, he said, “I think there have been great achievements and regrets.” Prime Minister Kim said, “I think it is an unimaginable step for North Korea’s top leader to come to the international community to hold summits with the U.S. president several times and meet between the two Koreas,” adding, “There have been disagreements over the roadmap of denuclearization, but I think these difficulties are part of the Korean Peninsula.”

“South Korea and the United States are blood alliances,” he stressed. As confirmed at the Korea-U.S. summit in May, the Korea-U.S. alliance has been upgraded beyond military alliances to comprehensive and reciprocal alliances, including economic and technological alliances, Prime Minister Kim said. “South Korea and the U.S. will respect each other’s positions in various international relations and strive for peace in Northeast Asia.”

He also said, “South Korea and China are neighboring countries that mark the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year and are ‘strategic cooperation partners’.” Prime Minister Kim said, “China is Korea’s largest trading partner and has been with us for a long time in Northeast Asia,” and added, “Geographically, it is the ‘nearest neighbor’ and in many ways, ‘partner who cannot leave each other’.” Prime Minister Kim said, “There have been many ups and downs between Korea and China, but fundamental trust and cooperation with each other have not been shaken,” adding, “Even if there are temporary difficulties, I think the relationship between the two countries will develop further in the future.”

Mike Choi

Asia Journal

The 2015 statistics show that amateur baseball teams in Korea are based on the physical education of private institutes such as 202 Little Baseball teams, 100 elementary school teams, 103 middle school teams, 67 high school teams, and 31 university teams. Based on this, it is growing into a great performance in world baseball and enthusiastic sports of the Korean people. In addition, Korean players have entered various positions in the U.S. Major League and now play in the World Series and League Championships.

However, Korea has almost the same system as Asian countries such as Japan and Taiwan, with traditional HAGWON (Hagwon: a Korean word meaning private education institute) sports at the center. In Korea, professional athletes run the academy and club system in the elite sports system and systematically guide the expertise of youth and society through professional academies as well as institutionalized establishments. Above all, it is a desirable change for them to be nurtured into an elite academy system and to abandon such familiarity and expand their own know-how and expertise to individual instruction. The academy has moved away from elite baseball and is coaching with more freedom and expertise, and is expanding its base to a mostly weekend baseball league style.

But there is also a tendency to open academies or centers easily. It is still in the early stages of regulation and discipline, so it is not easy to determine the professionalism or responsibility of an instructor. At least, based on his long experience in professional life or college baseball, he/she needs minimum regulations, discipline, and regulation of places and facilities in order to secure safety. But it must be a great Korean baseball. Even though the total baseball population is not large, the performance of the world tournament and the U.S. Major League Baseball encourages professional leaders to expand and change the base of Korean amateur baseball based on policies and guidelines on social and sports.

Kil-sung Choi

Asia Journal

(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)

The U.S. Major League Baseball has also finished the Champions League with zero-tolerance matches after numerous hardships, and South Korea is playing the game by allowing some of the final champions to enter the crowd as a post game.

In the case of professional baseball games, TV, online or through the LAN shows that the enthusiasm of the female audience has increased tremendously. Of course, it is well known that women are increasingly participating in all sports. Women’s baseball population is already over thousands of teams in the United States with considerable skills beyond popular sports. Of course, softball and regular baseball could be the same. Japan is also an advanced country in baseball, and the women’s team is forming a solid team.

Soo-mi Lee, secretary general of the Women’s Baseball Association Korea

Knowing these conditions, the Korea Women’s Baseball Federation wrapped up the year and organized training and games as planned. So, through the Women’s Baseball Festival, players, management, and coaches who worked hard gathered to hold the festival. Despite their lack of policy and help, it is believed that baseball players around the world need attention and encouragement. Now, I hope that with proper support in Korea, women’s baseball will become a sport that can be proud of through international competitions and expansion of base.It is already known that Korea has a system and ability in men’s baseball, but women’s baseball seems to be in a difficult environment to support, policy, and team. Although we are helping with training and games with professional baseball players such as the leader head coach, but, above all, we need policy and support so that we can play baseball in advanced countries and expand our base.

Sam Kim

Asia Journal

(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)

Kayla Hong

Asia Journal

(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)

A captain of the women’s national baseball team, Choi Min-hee, is a catcher and an infielder for the national team. Team training is done only on weekends, and during the week, players are engaged in their own daily lives. Choi Min-hee goes to the gym every day during the week to develop her muscles. Currently, she seldom goes to the gym or takes lessons in the field, because of the pandemic, so she is doing physical training at her house these days.

Choi played as an infielder in the Women’s Baseball Asian Cup in Zhongshan, China, in 2019, but unfortunately failed to qualify for the Women’s Baseball World Cup. The Women’s Baseball Asian Cup, the only women’s baseball tournament hosted by the Asian Baseball Softball Federation, is held every two years and is also a preliminary match for the World Cup. The Women’s Baseball World Cup is an international competition which is built for the top women in the sport. Every player dreamed of challenging themselves in the biggest stage.

Recalling the moment on the ground, she said that she felt a sense of frustration at how the game ended because the team had not won the ticket for the finals. However, the games were etched on her memory. It was her first time on the global stage. She realized that it is important to control herself throughout the competition. Even if she made a mistake, she should not be distracted so that she could get ready for the next turn and game. She also had to take care of his physical strength so that she wouldn’t get injured. Every game was important because women’s baseball rankings were given points in each game.

The match was a priceless opportunity where she felt more responsible than other games. She could play on behalf of the country with the national flag on her chest. She said she was able to learn from the skills of athletes she met from each country. She said she had seen a bigger picture, and also the potential for development.

When asked, “What is the most important thing when leading a team as a captain?”, she said that the atmosphere of the team is the most important on the ground. There are some days when she can’t do well or makes mistakes. Sometimes she is not in a good condition. She said, “Even if I made a mistake during the game, I have to shake it off with a smile on my face, and when I see someone else having trouble, I should encourage her to energize the team. It is because baseball is a team game.”

Choi was in a lifelong love affair with the sport. She started out as a softball player when she was in the third grade of middle school. Her physical education teacher recommended her to the manager of the girl’s softball team. She also worked as a varsity team and an independent team. When she returned to the ground as a softball coach in a girl’s middle school after a two-year break from parenting, her friend, Kim Hyo-ri who is now in Seoul ‘Hura’ baseball team, suggested that she start baseball together. An encouragement from her friend led her to the ballpark.

Then what brought her to the ballpark even after her childbirth? To be honest, she feels bored with this kind of question─nobody asks these questions related to birth and parenting to male players. Choi explains that when she’s at home only taking care of her child (her daughter is in the second year of elementary school), there’s no her own time. Most of her time is devoted to the family. The time to go out to play baseball in a baseball uniform is the only time for herself. “It’s a time when I can devote all my time to myself and live as ‘Choi Min-hee’, not as someone’s wife or someone’s mother. I realized how precious those hours were during the time I stopped exercising for a while.”

Women all over the country, and now the world, have fought for the chance to play on their school’s baseball team. Some have succeeded, and most have failed, but none have made a serious impact. In order to activate women’s baseball, Choi thinks, club activities should be activated at each school. Given her experience at a girl’s school as a coach, baseball is still unfamiliar for girls. Many young students will dream of becoming a baseball player if they naturally have a chance to play baseball. Still, Choi hopefully said there are more girls emerging in the Little League now than in the past.

She also thinks the reason why female athletes earn less money is because they lack their ability to mobilize spectators and marketability. If more women play baseball, which helps break down barriers, so the number of opportunities for females will expand across all levels of baseball, ultimately helping to evolve and redefine the notion of ‘women’s sports. In that sense, in order to get more young people involved in the game at every level, Choi wants women to relieve their vague fear about sports. Even if they are interested in baseball, they seem to hesitate about whether they can do well. There are a number of women’s baseball amateur teams all over the country. “Just search on the Internet and you can get the list of teams.”, she added. Anyone can easily join amateur teams than they expected. There are many players who start for the first time in their 20s or 30s. “There are more amateur teams than you think, so I think it’s a sport that you can enjoy without any burden. I hope you participate a lot because we can have fun together.”

Kayla Hong

Asia Journal

(Los Angeles Times Advertising Supplement)

]]> http://heraldk.com/en/2020/09/25/korean-womens-baseball-team-building-up-to-peak-performance/feed/ 0 http://heraldk.com/en/2020/08/27/for-korean-women-baseball-players-the-skys-the-limit/ http://heraldk.com/en/2020/08/27/for-korean-women-baseball-players-the-skys-the-limit/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2020 06:03:06 +0000 http://heraldk.com/en/?p=72442 Can a woman play baseball as well as a man? Do you know any great female baseball player in South Korea? Why does the story of a girl who pitches a ball or swings a bat sound unfamiliar to us?

Here’s a man to help women baseball players who are pushing the envelope. The outlook on women’s baseball in South Korea will be given below based on the interview with Kil-sung Choi.

There are currently 47 teams registered in Women’s Baseball Association Korea and 800 players nationwide, manager Choi explained. Twenty-four people were selected as women ‘s baseball national team from 50 first selected players. The selection process is entirely up to the manager. Players are not nominated by the club like professional baseball, but are selected through the tryout system. Choi thinks it’s a suitable system for his team.

The national team is organized once a year and maintained until the end of the biggest international competition, Women’s Baseball World Cup. Unfortunately, there are no more

international competitions available this year after being knocked out of the Asian competition. Nevertheless, the team is being trained to prepare for the next year’s competition. “So this year, we picked four more players than last year.”, said Choi. They have been trained since their elementary school in Little League. They can’t be on the roster yet, but trained together. “We are a very cheerful team with great teamwork.”

There’s only one immense problem with women’s baseball: opportunity. Female’s entry into professional sports is not a surprising story in other sports. Various ball sports such as golf, basketball, soccer, volleyball and handball are operated as professional for women─even women’s volleyball has the highest average viewer rating among professional sports in Korea─, while baseball consists of only “amateur” league. This is not a story just in Korea. The four-team Japanese Women’s Baseball League (JWBL) is the only women’s professional baseball league in the world.

Once they reach teenage years girls are pushed into softball, which has its own merits, but remains a different sport altogether. There have been scarce chances for women to play the game beyond Little League which is for boys under 14 and girls under 16.  Without a women’s professional league, tournaments such as the World Cup or Asian Cup are largely the only opportunities for women to compete at the highest level. While their male counterparts sign several contracts, the best female players have to find other lines of work, only practicing and playing (if they’re lucky) on weekends for no money. Despite the slime chance, the number of women who enjoy playing baseball is increasing. Starting with the first women’s baseball team “Bimil-li-ae (which means ‘secretly’)” in 2004, women’s baseball teams hopefully began to emerge little by little.

The entry of professional sports has formidable barriers to anyone, regardless of gender. The adversity, however, is more severe for people in suppression than for people in power. The lacking puzzle piece is awareness, which lies in this situation. Choi said that when he first heard of women playing baseball he was also surprised. Lack of media coverage is the reason why you’ve probably never heard about most women’s baseball competitions. As a result of the media largely shunning women’s baseball, the game has struggled to gain respect and attention from the public. Girls cannot find any role model for a female baseball player, and their parents advise them to be content only with watching the game. This lack of awareness in public makes the national team remain in obscurity, which results in a tiny pool of promising players. “In Japan, all men and women play baseball. The infrastructure for enjoying baseball from childhood up is well-equipped. However, Japanese women’s baseball league also has a weak condition, compared to that of males. The WBAK is trying to make women’s baseball more active and to foster more not only young players but also female managers,” Choi explained.

It is required for professional players to have training at least six hours everyday, according to the explanation of Choi. Since training is done only on weekends, it is difficult for players to build up and maintain their physical strengths effectively. Furthermore, managers and coaches cannot increase the quantity of training too much in order to prevent injuries. However, he expressed hope, saying that players are full of passion and young promising players continue to emerge. Kim Ra-kyung , Park Min-seo and Park Joo-ah are all expected to be ace players who have been systematically trained since their days in Little League. The more these players are trained together, the more competitive the national team will be, he predicted.

Choi always tries to make it just a good baseball team, not a good “women’s” team. He aims to make the team be advanced to next World Cup. Baseball, he says, is a team sport. It is better for players who play their roles to help each other. He is creating an atmosphere of mutual consideration so that other players do not feel uncomfortable. He encourages players, saying that “All players are liable to error.” to get rid of fears about making mistakes on the field so that they can become strong teams.

Professional baseball means a stage where both men and women can play, and it should be enjoyed by everyone. Players in the national team deeply understand how difficult it is to be the first starter. Most of them were all the first to play baseball around them. However, for them, the sky’s the limit. They just spurred each other on to take a further step. More little girls would be inspired by them to dream of being professional baseball players, which generates ‘power’. Collective and individual experiences of these women would help break down barriers, so will the number of opportunities for females across all levels of baseball increase, ultimately helping to evolve and redefine the notion of ‘women’s sports.

Kayla Hong

Asia Journal

(Los Angele Times Asia Journal)