“You can’t be called a national team only with good performance”… Knowing the meaning of the Taegeuk mark, I bowed my head

“You cannot be a national representative if you only have good performance. As a player representing the country, you need a great sense of responsibility, and you must set an example for others outside of the game.”메이저놀이터

Kim Hyun-soo (35, LG Twins), president of the Korea Professional Baseball Players Association, posted an apology on the 2nd. Recently, through a media outlet, he asked for forgiveness from the public and baseball fans for the controversy over drinking during the tournament by pitchers of the national team.

The Korean national team, which participated in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC), performed below expectations. In the first game, they lost 7-8 to Australia, which was regarded as a relative underdog. In the second game against Japan, which they had to catch after losing the first game, they lost 4-13 and experienced a humiliating defeat in a cold game.

Afterwards, the Korean national team defeated the Czech Republic 7-3 in the third match and defeated its opponent China 22-2 in the fourth match. Immediately after being eliminated from the group stage, a lot of criticism was directed at the results of the international competition, which was close to a ‘disaster’, but now a lot of criticism is being poured out on the attitude of the players beyond the results. The core basis for the criticism was that players should feel responsible for wearing the Taegeuk mark as well as outstanding performance as a national team member and should be more exemplary.

On the 1st, three pitchers involved in the deviant behavior, including Kim Gwang-hyeon (35, SSG Landers), Lee Yong-chan (34, NC Dinos), and Jeong Cheol-won (24, Doosan Bears) met with reporters and bowed their heads before the league matches to be held in Incheon and Changwon. . In addition, not only the person concerned, but also Kim Hyun-soo, who was the captain of the WBC team, expressed his apology a day later (the 2nd). Kim Hyun-soo also emphasized responsibility and exemplary spirit for the national team, which is the main basis for criticism.

▲ Kim Gwang-hyeon, Lee Yong-chan, and Jeong Cheol-won (from left) who caused the controversy. ⓒYonhap News

In an apology, Kim Hyun-soo said, “As an organization representing Korean professional baseball players, we feel a great sense of responsibility regarding the drinking controversy of some players of the Korean baseball team during the WBC tournament, and we apologize to the people and fans who love professional baseball. I apologize,” he said. “The unconvincing case of the drinking controversy during the WBC tournament was revealed, and we gave the public and professional baseball fans a great sense of disappointment and displeasure.”

He continued, “It is impossible to be called a national representative only with good performance. We will keep in mind how much responsibility it takes to be a representative of the country, and that we must set an example for others outside of the game, and we will make sure that this does not happen again. Our Players Association has no excuses for this controversy and apologizes to the people for failing to protect the honor and dignity of the national team by failing to behave properly during the tournament as a national representative. I’m sorry too,” he apologized.

Kim Hyun-soo is a veteran among veterans who has experienced various international competitions, starting with the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also has a lot of national team experience. As much as he knew the meaning and weight of the Taegeuk mark, he was well aware of the fact that a country cannot be represented simply with good grades. So he bowed his head even more and begged for fault.

This season, Korean baseball was surrounded by various noises. Drunken driving, illegal gambling charges, and sexual exploitation charges, etc., have emerged as serious problems. Despite some negative public opinion, it seemed to recover its popularity by surpassing 2 million spectators.

Kim Hyun-soo, head of the Players Association, bowed his head and sincerely asked for forgiveness, so if the players do not show a changed attitude, the meaning will inevitably fade. I think the players themselves should be more alert as professional players in order not to be forgiven with words.