[Official Announcement] Choi Won-ho, 'Former Hanwha Manager,' Fills Vacancy Left by Ryu Ji-hyun's Departure from Hanwha! Takes Helm of South Korea National Team for November APBC

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Choi Won-ho (53), coach of the South Korea national baseball team, will take over as head coach of the national team, a position left vacant by Manager Ryu Ji-hyun's (55) move to the Hanwha Eagles.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officially announced on the 19th that it has appointed Manager Choi Won-ho as the head coach of the Lee Kkeul (CEO) team for the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), scheduled to be held from November 12 to 15 at Tokyo Dome in Japan.

The national team's leadership position became vacant after Manager Ryu recently took office as the 15th manager of Hanwha. Manager Ryu led South Korea to the quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years since 2009 at this year's March World Baseball Classic (WBC), and last month secured a fifth consecutive gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games by winning the final against Japan 3-1. Subsequently, on the 13th, he signed a three-year contract worth a total of 2 billion won with Hanwha, returning to the professional field.

Following this, the KBO selected Manager Choi Won-ho, who had worked alongside Manager Ryu in both tournaments, as his successor. Manager Choi served as the bullpen coach at the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 and contributed to the quarterfinal advancement after 17 years as a QC coach at this year's WBC.

At the Asian Games, he served as pitching coach, overseeing young pitchers including Kwak Bin, So Hyoung-jun, and Choi Min-seok, contributing to the gold medal victory. He received high praise for his deep understanding of national team player composition, operational methods, and the characteristics of international tournaments. When the coaching staff was formed for this year's Asian Games, Manager Choi was also responsible for the pitching department under Manager Ryu, alongside senior coach Kang In-gwon.

He also has diverse experience in professional baseball. After retiring from active play, he served as pitching coach for the LG Twins and worked as a commentator for SBS Sports from 2015. He has emphasized data-driven and scientific approaches, including obtaining a doctoral degree in biomechanics and operating a pitching research institute.

After returning to the field as Hanwha's Futures League manager at the end of 2019, he served as acting first division manager in 2020. After leading the Futures team again, he was officially appointed as the 13th manager of Hanwha in May 2023 and stepped down from the helm in May 2024. Since last year, he has been working again as a commentator for SBS Sports.

For Manager Choi, the APBC is his first international tournament as a head coach rather than a national team coach. The player pool will be called up on November 1, and he will officially take command of the national team starting with domestic training camp at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark beginning on the 2nd. The national team will conduct training and practice games from the 2nd to the 8th before departing for Japan on the 9th.

This APBC is clearly characterized as a stage for discovering future national representatives. Players aged 24 or under (born after January 1, 2002) or within their third year of professional baseball are the basic eligibility criteria, and up to three wildcards aged 29 or under can be utilized. The KBO Power Enhancement Committee composed the roster centered on young players who need international tournament experience, with an eye toward the 2027 Premier12 and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

Young players who have already stood out in the KBO League, such as Kim Do-young (KIA), Choi Min-seok (Doosan), and Ahn Hyun-min (KT), were included in the entry list. To prevent injuries due to consecutive participation in international tournaments this year, pitchers called up for the WBC, including Kwak Bin, were excluded from selection, and pitchers from teams advancing to the Korea Series will also be omitted from the final roster. Accordingly, the KBO has tentatively confirmed 33 players, consisting of a final entry of 28 plus five candidates, with plans to adjust based on the results of the Korea Series and injury status.

South Korea will play its first game against Australia on November 12, followed by matches against Japan on the 13th and Taiwan on the 14th. After the four countries complete a round-robin format, the top two teams will compete in the final on the 15th, while the third and fourth-place teams will face off in the third-place playoff on the same day. Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Ha-seong in 2017, and Kim Do-young, Kwak Bin, and Won Tae-in in 2023, are examples of players who grew into national team stars through this tournament.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original