The Hanwha Eagles have appointed Ryu Ji-hyun, the manager of the national baseball team, as their new manager. The club announced on October 13 that they have signed Ryu to a three-year contract worth 2 billion won.
Following the conclusion of the season with former manager Kim Kyung-moon, Hanwha quickly finalized the appointment of Ryu as part of a fresh start.
Hanwha stated, "We believe Ryu Ji-hyun is the right person to achieve our goal of becoming a sustainable strong team."
Ryu, who joined the LG Twins in 1994 and won the Rookie of the Year award that same year, built his coaching career after retiring in 2004, serving as a strategy, base-running, and defense coach, as well as the head coach at LG. In 2021, he led LG to the postseason for two consecutive seasons.
He later took over as the head coach of the national team, leading them to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic and securing a gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, proving his leadership on the international stage.
Returning to the KBO League after four years, Ryu expressed gratitude for the opportunity, stating, "I thank the club for entrusting me with the management of a great team like the Hanwha Eagles. I will do my best to turn this team into a strong one, fueled by our amazing fans, and to realize the club's vision of becoming a prestigious team."
A restructuring of the front office has also taken place. Seok Jang-hyun, the former head of management support, has been appointed as the new general manager, succeeding Son Hyuk.
Seok, who joined Hanwha in 2003, has held various roles including scout, public relations officer, operations team leader, and strategy team leader. This marks the first time in Hanwha's history that a front office employee has been appointed to the general manager position.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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