Ryu Ji-hyeon to Lead South Korea Baseball Team Through 2026 Asian Games

By Kang Sang Heon Posted : April 15, 2026, 13:39 Updated : April 15, 2026, 13:39
South Korea manager Ryu Ji-hyeon watches players train ahead of the World Baseball Classic quarterfinal against the Dominican Republic at loanDepot park in Miami, Florida, on April 12 (local time). [Photo by Yonhap]
 
Ryu Ji-hyeon, who guided South Korea to its first World Baseball Classic quarterfinal in 17 years at the 2026 tournament, is set to remain in charge through the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September.

The Korea Baseball Softball Association said Tuesday that it selected Ryu as the top candidate to manage the Asian Games national team after an open recruitment process for coaches to be sent to this year’s age-group international competitions.

The association held a meeting of its performance improvement committee on April 10 and conducted interview evaluations. Ryu received favorable marks across the criteria, including the detail of his national team operations plan, analytical ability and leadership, according to the association.

If his appointment is finalized following board approval and other procedures, Ryu will lead the team at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, to be held in Japan from Sept. 21 to 27. South Korea has won four straight Asian Games baseball gold medals, from the 2010 Guangzhou Games through the 2022 Hangzhou Games held in 2023.

Association President Yang Hae-young said the selection focused on choosing a capable coach with transparency and fairness as the top priorities. He said the association will move quickly to assemble the coaching staff and select players once the remaining approval steps are completed.



* This article has been translated by AI.

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