Baseball and beyond: The favourite sports of South Korea
Team Canada will begin to play ball at the World Baseball Classic on Thursday, competing in a pool against the Dominican Republic, Colombia, and the United States in Miami.
But the tournament actually began in Seoul on Monday, with South Korea hosting its own first round robin pool against Israel, Chinese Taipei, and the Netherlands. It’s just one more international sporting event taking place in the next Olympic host country ahead of PyeongChang 2018.
South Korea players celebrate with their gold medals after beating Cuba 3-2 in the gold medal baseball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
This is the fourth edition of the World Baseball Classic, previously held in 2006, 2009, and 2013. South Korea has captured two medals (silver in 2009, bronze in 2006) in one of their most popular spectator sports. The Korean Baseball Organization, formed in 1981, now has 10 teams in its league.
Olympic fans will see the return of baseball at Tokyo 2020, which is promising news for Korean fans who will be looking to cheer their country to another gold medal. South Korea captured gold the last time baseball appeared in the Olympic Games at Beijing 2008.
Related: It’s time for baseball to return to the Olympic Games…again
Beyond baseball, South Korea is known to be dominant in many other sports. Here is a brief history:
Taekwondo
Originating in Korea, taekwondo is the country’s national sport and one of its most recognizable. Since the official Olympic debut of taekwondo at Sydney 2000, South Korea has dominated the podium with 19 medals, twelve of which are gold.
Oh Hye-ri of South Korea celebrates with fans after winning the gold medal in the women’s 67 kg taekwondo competition at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Fun fact: Taekwondo is part of the training regimen for South Korea’s military.
Golf
Korean women have certainly made their mark in the golfing world. The success began when Se Ri Pak won the US Women’s Open in 1998. Since then, Korean women have continued to be a dominant force on the LPGA Tour. In the most recent World Golf Rankings, six South Korean women were ranked in the top 10.
Inbee Park of South Korea, hits from the bunker on the 18th hole during the final round of the women’s golf event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Park won the gold medal. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Fun fact: Inbee Park won the gold medal at Rio 2016 and was also inducted into the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame that same year.
Soccer
Soccer has become increasingly popular in South Korea since the country co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup. In that tournament, South Korea became the first Asian team to reach the semifinals of the World Cup.
South Korea’s players celebrate after winning their men’s soccer bronze medal match against Japan, in Cardiff, Wales, at the 2012 London Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 10, 2012. South Korea won 2-0. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
Fun fact: South Korea was the first Asian team to win an Olympic medal in men’s soccer (bronze at London 2012) since Japan at Mexico City 1968.
Short Track Speed Skating
Short track speed skating has given Korean fans lots of excitement over the years. With 42 Olympic short track medals, South Korea sits atop the leaderboard. At Turin 2006, the country captured ten medals, winning gold in six of the eight events. The Gangneung Ice Arena will certainly be rocking with Korean fans at PyeongChang 2018.
Olympic gold medalist Ahn Hyun-Soo, left, congratulates his teammate silver medalist Lee Ho-Suk after Ahn’s gold medal victory in the 1500m at the Turin 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 12, 2006. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Fun fact: Not only does South Korea have the most Olympic medals, it also has the most gold medals with 21 – 12 more than any other nation.
Video Gaming
In South Korea, professional gamers are treated like royalty and their competitions are often televised. Considered a national sport in South Korea (though not technically recognized as a sport), gamers spend hours practicing every day just like pro athletes. In 2000, Korea became the leader for the development of e-sports when they added Korea e-Sports association as a branch to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
In this Aug. 30, 2016, photo, a man plays a computer game at a PC cafe in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea started the e-sports industry in the early 2000s, and it continues to be a world leader in competitive gaming. There are not only professional video game players, but also broadcasting channels and professional leagues for different kinds of games. South Koreans can easily watch professional gamers playing on both television and the internet. (AP Photo/Jungho Choi)
Fun fact: One of the stadiums used for the 2002 FIFA World Cup is now often packed with e-Sports fans cheering on professional gamers.
In this Sept. 3, 2016, photo, fans of Jin Air Green Wings celebrate the victory together after the 2016 SK Telecom StarCraft final match between KT Rolster and Jin Air Green Wings at Children’s Grand Park in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea has the biggest e-Sports industry in the world with professional leagues and broadcasting channels. (AP Photo/Jungho Choi)
Archery
Archery has been an extremely successful sport for South Korea at the Olympic Games. South Korea leads the Olympic medal count for archery with 39, including 23 gold.
South Korea’s team celebrate winning the women’s team archery competition at the Sambadrome venue during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016. South Korea won the gold medals after beating Russia. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Fun Fact: South Korea has won every Olympic gold medal in the women’s team event since it debuted at Seoul 1988.
