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Nat'l baseball team manager 'extremely satisfied' with pre-WBC camp in Saipan

Published: 22 Jan. 2026, 09:32 Updated: 22 Jan. 2026, 17:29

Ryu Ji-hyun, manager of the Korean national baseball team, speaks with reporters at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Jan. 21, after arriving back from training camp in Saipan. [YONHAP]

Ryu Ji-hyun, manager of the Korean national baseball team gearing up for the World Baseball Classic (WBC), was so happy with how the squad's training camp went in Saipan that he will generously give his charges bonus points.

"Overall, I think the team deserves 100 points out of 100, and I would add another 100 points on top of that," Ryu said with a smile after arriving at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Wednesday. "First, these players came really prepared. Second, I was really impressed with the way they approached practices. Finally, I could feel how seriously they are taking this tournament. I was extremely satisfied with this camp, and I thanked everyone at the end."

The national team set up camp on Jan. 9 with about 30 players in the mix, most of them from KBO clubs and two U.S.-based players — Kim Hye-seong of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Go Woo-suk, who has a minor league deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Korea has never run a training camp this far in advance of previous WBCs, but desperate times call for desperate measures. After reaching the final and losing to Japan at the 2009 tournament, Korea were eliminated in the opening round in each of the next three editions in 2013, 2017 and 2023.

For this year's tournament, which starts March 5, Korea must finish in the top two in Pool C — against Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei and the Czech Republic — in order to reach the quarterfinals.

Ryu, who has been a coach on two previous WBC teams, said he feels blessed to be working with such a dedicated group of players.

"Considering their current attitude and form, I came away convinced we will definitely have good results [at the tournament]," Ryu said.

The manager named two veterans, Hanwha Eagles pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin and LG Twins outfielder Park Hae-min, as the two most important players in Saipan, for the way they set the tone as respective captains for the pitchers' group and the position players' group.

Before leaving for Saipan earlier this month, Ryu had said the focal point of the camp would be to get pitchers to build up their workload ahead of time. Without the WBC, pitchers wouldn't be trying to ramp up this time of year for a high-intensity tournament in March.

"I think we had success in that regard," Ryu said. "I watched 13 of our pitchers throw in the bullpen, and if they keep up this pace, they should be able to join us for the next camp in Japan on Feb. 15 in pretty good shape."

On a down note, Ryu learned earlier this week that two key infielders, Kim Ha-seong of the Atlanta Braves and Song Sung-mun of the San Diego Padres, will both miss the WBC with injuries.

"Obviously, it's disappointing, and we have to be prepared for all types of contingencies going forward," Ryu said. "As for their replacements, I can't make that decision alone. I will meet with some KBO officials in the coming days to discuss changes."

Yonhap