Although the South Korean baseball team defeated Japan to achieve the historic milestone of winning its fifth consecutive Asian Games title, the tournament has also left behind significant homework.
Led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun, the national team claimed the gold medal by defeating Japan 3 to 1 in the baseball final of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Tied 1 to 1 in the top of the 8th inning, Korea seized momentum with consecutive timely hits by Kim Do-young and Moon Bo-kyung, successfully defending the top spot held since the 2010 Guangzhou Games.
However, behind the brilliant fruit of five consecutive titles, a sense of regret remained.
Composed entirely of professional players, our national team struggled considerably in both matchups of the tournament against a Japanese squad centered around industrial league (corporate) players.
Earlier, in the first round of the Super Round, Korea suffered a 0 to 5 shutout loss, marking its first defeat to Japan at the Asian Games in 20 years, and faced a difficult game in the final as well, managing only a single run through the 7th inning.
Japanese media spotlighted the fact that their national team put up a strong fight against Korea despite being composed of non-professional, industrial league players.
Japan's TBS reported, "Although Japan failed to reach the top of Asia for the first time in 32 years, the team fought valiantly until the end on home soil, including a five-game winning streak following the opening."
The Mainichi Shimbun of Japan also noted, "Japan, consisting of industrial league baseball players, narrowly lost to the Korean professional squad and failed to win the gold medal for the first time in 32 years."
Japanese media outlets evaluated that "Korea, which receives military service benefits upon winning the championship, showed strong determination," while adding that "Korean baseball realized the high wall of Japan throughout this tournament."
Consequently, voices of self-reflection are continuing, suggesting that while the goal of five consecutive championships was achieved, we must use this as an opportunity to look back at the current reality of Korean baseball.
Aside from the fierce competition, heartwarming scenes unfolded in the stands.
Cheering squads from both countries chanted "Play Korea" and "Go Japan" to each other during the game, and reports of representatives from both cheering squads shaking hands after the match drew praise for "true sportsmanship."
Reported by Lee Hyeon-yeong | Video by Hong Jin-young | Graphics by Yook Do-hyun | Produced by SBS Digital News
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