No Gold Without Beating Taiwan... Led by Gwak Been, Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Do-young, Ryu Ji-hyun's Team Sets Sights on a Fifth Straight Asian Games Title

[Financial News] The excitement of South Korea's first World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinal appearance in 17 years, along with the professional baseball boom fueled by record-breaking crowds, is now heading to Aichi Prefecture, Japan. South Korea's national baseball team, led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, will chase an unprecedented fifth consecutive Asian Games title at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Since winning the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, South Korea has kept its grip on the top step of the podium four times in a row.
The first hurdle in that journey will come on Sept. 21, when South Korea faces Taiwan in its Group B opener at Okazaki Central General Park Baseball Stadium in Aichi Prefecture, Japan. South Korea is grouped with Taiwan Creative Content Agency, Hong Kong and Pattani FC, and must finish in the top two to advance to the Super Round, where medals will be decided.
Because the tournament carries over results from the group stage, the opening game against Taiwan Creative Content Agency, effectively a battle for first place, is the biggest turning point of the entire event. Only by getting off to a perfect start can South Korea secure an advantage in the medal race against teams such as Japan and China from Group A.

At the front of the mound for this tense short tournament will be Gwak Been of the Doosan Bears. Ryu used one of his three wild cards on him without hesitation and called him the team's "clear ace." This tournament carries special meaning for Gwak. At the last Asian Games in Hangzhou, he was named the starter against Hong Kong, but a sudden neck issue kept him from throwing even one inning.

After three years of frustration, Gwak has fully transformed himself into the league's best pitcher. This season, he has started 23 games and posted 10 wins and 5 losses with a 2.33 ERA and 161 strikeouts.
He has held off every top foreign ace and remains firmly No. 1 in ERA and strikeouts. Since June, he has lowered his ERA into the 1-point range and has truly established himself as South Korea's top pitcher.

If Gwak anchors the mound, then the batter's box belongs to Kim Do-young of the Kia Tigers, the league's biggest superstar. After winning the regular-season MVP award in 2024 with a .347 batting average, 38 home runs and 40 stolen bases, he has returned stronger after overcoming a hamstring injury.
Instead of taking risky chances on the bases, he has focused on maximizing his power with explosive swings that put more weight behind the ball. In 111 games this season, he has hit .303 with 38 home runs, 94 RBIs and a 1.037 OPS, producing overwhelming firepower. He has outslugged foreign power hitters such as Austin Dean and Sam Hilliard and is now on track to win his first home run title.

Also encouraging is the resurgence of Moon Bo-kyung of the LG Twins, the "international-stage clutch hitter" who powered South Korea into the quarterfinals at the WBC in March with a blistering .438 batting average. Moon is one of South Korea's best hitters for international competition, having helped lead the team to the Asian Games title and the 2026 WBC quarterfinals. Whenever he has played in a major tournament, South Korea has usually delivered strong results.
After struggling throughout the regular season, he has recently found his rhythm, batting .500 over his last five games with 10 hits in 20 at-bats. Fans are hoping his clutch instincts, which once helped carry South Korea into the miraculous quarterfinals, will appear again.
South Korea has assembled the ace who wants to erase the disappointment of Hangzhou, the prodigy who has evolved into a power hitter, and the country's best international-stage hitter, now back in form. The preparations for the difficult but glorious challenge of a fifth straight Asian Games title are complete. With national pride on the line, the time is approaching to paint the Nagoya autumn night in gold.
[email protected] Jeon Sang-il Reporter