Former Hanwha Eagles Manager Choi Won-ho Appointed Head of National Baseball Team

▲ Newly appointed South Korean national baseball team manager Choi Won-ho

Former Hanwha Eagles manager Choi Won-ho has been appointed to lead the national baseball team for the 2026 Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC).

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced today (October 19) that it has selected Manager Choi Won-ho to head the national team for the 2026 APBC, which will be held in Tokyo, Japan, from November 12 to 15.

His contract runs through the conclusion of the APBC tournament.

Manager Choi has extensive field experience across various roles, including serving as a professional club manager and an SBS Sports commentator, and has built solid international tournament experience as part of the national team coaching staff.

He began as a bullpen coach for the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12, and later served as a quality control (QC) coach for the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and as pitching coach for the national team at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

In particular, he contributed significantly to the national team's achievements, supporting their first advance to the quarterfinals in 17 years at this year's WBC and leading the team to its fifth consecutive Asian Games title through reliable pitching management.

The KBO highly evaluated Manager Choi for his exceptional understanding of national team roster composition, operations, and the overall environment of international competitions.

The national team, setting sail under Manager Choi, will officially assemble and begin intensive training starting November 2 at the Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark.

The coaching staff selections to assist Manager Choi will be announced at a later date.

(Photo: Yonhap News)

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