'Another blow to Korean baseball': A giant of Korean baseball has passed away, Oh Woo-hong, former manager who led the team to the first-ever World Baseball Championship title for Asia, at the age of 95.

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Former manager Oh Woo-hong, who led Korean baseball to the pinnacle of the World Baseball Championship for the first time in an Asian nation, passed away on the 19th at the age of 95.

The late Oh began his baseball career as a pitcher at Dongnae Middle School (now Dongnae High School), where he received the championship trophy of the 3rd National High School Baseball Tournament (now the Golden Saja-ji Cup). He later played for industrial teams including Joseon Jeonyup and Namsun Electric after attending Sungkyunkwan University.

After retiring as a player, Oh dedicated himself to nurturing future generations as an amateur and industrial baseball coach. In 1981, he was appointed manager of the national baseball team.

In September 1982, at the 27th World Baseball Championship held in Seoul, he led top players of the era such as Kim Jae-park, Choi Dong-won, Han Dae-hwa, and Sun Dong-yeol to a championship victory.

He commanded a dramatic victory over Japan in the final match that year, establishing a golden monument as the first Asian nation to win the World Baseball Championship. That same year, he was honored with the Kyorin Order of Sports Merit and the World Baseball Softball Confederation Manager of the Year Award for his contributions.

Following this, former manager Oh Woo-hong also served as a professional coach, managing MBC Chungyong from 1984 to 1985 and Lotte Giants from 1988 to 1989. As a manager, he recorded 177 career wins in the KBO League.

In particular, during his long tenure as an amateur coach, he mentored numerous stars including Kim Eung-yong, Kang Byung-cheol, Heo Goo-yeon, and Kim Yong-hee, earning widespread acclaim within the baseball community for years.

After retiring from coaching, Oh contributed to the development of Korean baseball by holding various key positions, including founding chairman of the Korea Baseball Association (1991), special advisor to the KBO President (1991–1996), member of the KBO Elder Advisory Council (1991–2026), and chairperson of the KBO Rules Committee (1992–1996).

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has decided to hold a state funeral for former manager Oh Woo-hong in recognition of his dedication to the development of Korean baseball.

This will be the third state funeral held under the KBO banner, following the funerals of former acting KBO President Lee Yong-il in September last year and former Incheon manager Baek on August 15 this year.

*Time of death: 4:49 p.m., August 19, 2026

*Visitation room: Room 9, Morgue, 1st Floor (Basement), Bundang Jeisaeng Hospital

*Departure for burial: 5:30 a.m., August 21, 2026

*Burial site: Yongin Pyeongonui Forest

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original