Korea Nat`l Baseball Team Heads to Taiwan

After eight years, players of the Korea national baseball team have come together to compete for a chance to go to the Beijing Olympic Games.

The national team came together on Feb. 20 to prepare for Olympic qualifying matches to be held from Mar. 7 to 14 in Taichung, Taiwan.

Coach Kim Kyung-moon and 29 players met at Hotel Riviera located in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu where they will be staying. Two months have passed since the first round of the tournament ended in Taichung last December. The Korea national team lost to Japan.

Coach Kim said, “No matter what happens, we will survive this final qualifying tournament to go to Beijing.”

The team will practice in the afternoon on Feb. 21 at Jamshil Stadium and leave for Taiwan the next day. Three pitchers, Jang Won-sam, Hwang Doo-seong and Joh Yong-hoon (Centennial players) who already trained in Jeju, and another five players, to include Jeong Geun-woo (SK infielder) and Sohn Si-heon (Korea Armed Forces Athletic Corps), already left for Taiwan on Feb. 16.

While pitcher Seo Jae-weong and infielders Lee Hyeon-gon and Choi Hee-seop are out due to injuries, Lee Seung-yeop, who recovered from a thumb cord operation, is expected to bolster the team’s batting lineup.

The national team will compete with seven other countries, including Taiwan, Australia, Mexico and Canada in qualifying matches next month. Only three will go on to Beijing.

hic@donga.com