By Yoo Jee-ho

INCHEON, March 4 (Yonhap) — Among the South Korean position players competing in this month’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), no one has as much resume as outfielder Kim Hyun-soo.

Kim has represented the country nine times on the international stage, starting with the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Kim has also won three gold medals at the Asian Games and the 2015 Premier12 title. In 59 international matches , Kim hit .364 with 46 RBIs.

It’s no wonder his teammates turned to Kim, literally, when the coaching staff wanted to name the national team captain for the WBC.

“When it came time to vote captain, everyone looked at me,” Kim said with a smile at Incheon International Airport on Saturday, before flying to Osaka for the WBC exhibition matches. next week. The tournament begins in earnest for South Korea on Thursday in Tokyo.

“I don’t know if I have what it takes to be captain,” Kim said. “I happen to have this title next to my name. The national team is a collection of great players, and we will all do our best and deliver great results.

South Korea will try to get out of the first round for the first time since 2009, when they finished in second place ahead of Japan.

Kim, who was part of that 2009 team, said this year’s WBC added meaning on a personal level.

“Every international competition means a lot to me, but this one is particularly important because it could be my last,” said the 35-year-old outfielder. “We have worked hard so far and we will have a few more days in Japan before the tournament, which will give us plenty of time to be as prepared as possible.”

South Korean players have long named the opening game against Australia, scheduled for Thursday midday at the Tokyo Dome, as the most crucial of their tournament. Win this game and the path to the quarter-finals as one of the top two teams in Pool B will be pretty clear. Otherwise, South Korea will face an inescapable situation against world number one Japan on Friday night.

Kim said he and his teammates watched plenty of clips of the Aussie pitchers to get to grips with, although getting into the box in real life is a different story.

“The stress level isn’t as high when you study pitchers on film. Once we see them in person, we’ll feel a little more nervous,” Kim said. “So we will continue to study cinema and discuss among ourselves the best way to deal with these pitchers.”

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) — South Korea won its last home game on Friday before the start of the World Baseball Classic (WBC) next week, with some pitchers showing signs of command issues.

Led by Lee Kang-chul, the national team defeated minor league affiliate SSG Landers in the Korea Baseball Organization 10-2 at the Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul.

Starter Ko Young-pyo worked three goalless innings and outfielder Park Kun-woo, considered a tournament substitute, drove in four runs with a home run and two doubles.

It was the last practice match for South Korea before their trip to Japan for the big tournament. The team will fly to Osaka on Saturday to prepare for two official clashes against Japanese clubs: the Orix Buffaloes on Monday and the Hanshin Tigers on Tuesday.

South Korea’s first Pool B match is Thursday against Australia at the Tokyo Dome.

The only two major leaguers on the national team, Kim Ha-seong of the San Diego Padres and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals, were ineligible for Friday’s game, which was an informal non-WBC-sanctioned scrimmage. They will be available against the Buffaloes and Tigers.

Kim and Edman practiced batting live earlier Friday, and the two pitchers on the mound for this session, Koo Chang-mo and Won Tae-in, did not come out for the scrimmage after throwing 35 and 37 pitches, respectively. .

And with manager Lee wanting to see all of the remaining pitchers in action, the national team’s pitching staff was split in two.

Six of the remaining 13 pitchers have pitched for the national team, including Ko, the likely starter against Australia in South Korea’s opener next Thursday.

The other seven pitchers took the mound for the Landers, including veteran left-hander Kim Kwang-hyun.

On the positional side, outfielder Choi Ji-hoon and receiver Lee Ji-young played for the Landers.

Third baseman Choi Jeong was ruled out of the game due to bad weather. With no other third baseman available — Kim Ha-seong and Edman can play third base if needed during the WBC — right fielder Park Kun-woo ended up leading the hot corner in this game.

The national team put 10 hitters in their starting lineup and used two designated hitters.

South Korea opened the scoring late in the second, thanks to Yang Eui-ji’s RBI single. The national team doubled their lead in the third, as Oh Ji-hwan’s brace in a well-executed blitzkrieg scored Kim Hye-seong in the first.

The Landers recovered a fifth run on a double play ball, with shortstop Oh Ji-hwan flashing leather on a short, hard hopper to start the double kill and limit the damage.

South Korea took a 4-1 lead in the bottom fifth, when Park Kun-woo hit an RBI brace high up the right field fence, and Oh followed it up with a single for his second RBI of the game. .

In the top sixth, the Landers cut the deficit to 4-2 with an RBI groundout, only to see South Korea come right back with a run in the bottom sixth.

Park Kun-woo homered for South Korea in the seventh to open a 6-2 lead.

Although South Korea led after the top 9, they opted to play the bottom half of this inning, so that a final pitcher, Kim Won-jung, could do his job. Park hit the reliever for a two-run double for an 8-2 advantage.

Kim made a throwing error after lining up a bunt to let in another South Korean run.

Oh Ji-hwan’s single completed the score at 10-2.

National team pitchers after Ko didn’t look sharp. Yang Hyeon-jong gave up three hits and a few harder-hit balls, and fellow southpaw Kim Yun-sik struggled to find the strike zone. Lefty Lee Eui-lee hit 152 kilometers per hour (94.4 miles per hour) with his fastball but also fired two steps.

Among the national team members who pitched for the Landers, Gwak Been, the second pitcher, looked solid as he sat above 150 mph. But reliever Lee Yong-chan threw two wild pitches in his only working inning, and Jeong Cheol-won ceded the solo shot to Park Kun-woo. Kim Won-jung was manhandled for four runs in the ninth.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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#LEAD #COVID19 #case #South Korea #government #plans #lift #antivirus #measures

By Kim Deok-hyun

SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) — Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday that South Korea has yet to decide whether or not to send lethal weapons to Ukraine, despite calls from Ukraine to have heavy weapons to support its fight against Russia.

In an interview with CNN’s “Quest Means Business,” Han said South Korea has decided to increase its financial support for Ukraine this year while seeking to support Kyiv with power generation facilities.

When asked if he would consider sending lethal weapons to Ukraine, Han replied, “Not now. I think so.”

“But we are completely in favor of Ukraine, and this year we have decided to increase our support by the amount of 130 million dollars, and we are trying to support them in terms of electricity production capacities. , etc.” said Han.

“Whether we’re going to go into lethal weapons support, we haven’t decided yet,” he said.

North Korea tested a record number of missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, last year, prompting South Korea and the United States to step up joint military exercises.

Since President Yoon Suk Yeol’s government came to power last year, Han said South Korea “has put a lot of emphasis on building our deterrence capabilities in the right way, but we let’s not close the dialogue”.

“As long as North Korea refrains from its very strong and ambitious nuclear ambitions, it’s OK for the United States and for (South) Korea to open our dialogue, but so far it’s really a shame that North Korea didn’t respond in a way that was totally, you know, desirable,” Han said.

He also clarified that South Korea would not consider acquiring its own nuclear weapons in the face of growing nuclear threats from the North.

When asked if South Korea would want its own nuclear capability or if the United States is redeploying its nuclear capabilities here, Han replied, “I don’t think that’s the right way to go. We must work with the international community, including our close ally, the United States.

“We will continue to exert strong pressure on North Korea to denuclearize, and we would like to let North Korea know that the development and advancement of nuclear capabilities will not guarantee peace and prosperity in their country. , as well as on the Korean Peninsula and around the world.”

kdh@yna.co.kr
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#LEAD #South Korea #China #strengthen #trade #investment #cooperation