The South Korean national baseball team (), also known as the Blue Wave (), is the national baseball team of South Korea. It has participated in every edition of the World Baseball Classic (WBC), reaching the finals in 2009, and won the WBSC Premier12 in 2015. South Korea also hosted and won the Baseball World Cup in 1982, and has participated in several Summer Olympic Games (winning gold over Cuba in 2008).
Currently, South Korean baseball is ranked sixth in the WBSC World Rankings. South Korea's main rival is Japan, which it has met in several WBC, Olympic, and Asian Baseball Championship games.
Team South Korea is competing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic in March 2026.
South Korea was a founding member of the Baseball Federation of Asia in 1954. It played at the inaugural Asian Baseball Championship in Manila, which was also the team's first meeting with archrival Japan (suffering an 0âÂÂ6 loss). Korea won its first victory in the rivalry nine years later, defeating Japan 5âÂÂ2 at the 1963 Asian Baseball Championship in Seoul.
South Korea debuted at the 1976 Amateur World Series. With the country hosting the 1982 Amateur World Series, the South Korean team scored a dramatic victory over Japan when, trailing 0âÂÂ2 in the bottom of the eighth, Kim Jae-bak hit a three-run homer off a foul pole. South Korea became the first Asian country to win the amateur baseball competition, finishing with an 8âÂÂ1 record.
Since the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, professional baseball players have been permitted to play and the South Korean team that was formed was often called the "Korean Dream Team". This team won the bronze medal. At that time, the top four teams (Cuba, United States, South Korea and Japan) advanced to the semi-finals. In the semi-final game, the South Koreans faced the United States team and lost. In the bronze medal match, the South Koreans played against the Japanese and won the game 3âÂÂ1.
After losing 4âÂÂ3 to Japan at the 2007 Asian Baseball Championships, the South Koreans finished with a 2âÂÂ1 record and were forced to seek entrance to the 2008 Olympics via the Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament to be held March 7âÂÂ14, 2008 in Taichung, Taiwan.
The South Korean roster, for the qualifying, is mainly professional players from the Korea Baseball Organization and is not subjected to the scheduling conflicts that troubled the teams from Australia, Canada, and Mexico.
Going into the tournament rated by the experts as an outsider, or a dark horse at most, South Korea surprised everybody by finishing the group stage in first place with a perfect 7âÂÂ0 record. The team began its run with come from behind win against heavily favored United States, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning with a sacrifice fly. Disappointment soon followed the next game, however, as China (undeniably the weakest team in the tournament) stymied South Korea for most of the game before the game was suspended because of rain in the 6th inning with a 0âÂÂ0 score. South Korea bounced back the following day with a tightly contested 1âÂÂ0 victory over Canada, with Ryu Hyun-Jin recording a complete-game shutout. After dispatching their rivals Japan 5âÂÂ3 in the next game, South Korea finished off China in the continuation of the aforementioned suspended game by winning 1âÂÂ0 in the extra innings. South Korea then clinched their place in the final four by beating Chinese Taipei 9âÂÂ8, followed by another surprise victory over heavily favored Cubans, 7âÂÂ4 (which guaranteed them finishing first place in the group round). The team finished their Round Robin Tournament in style, hammering the Netherlands 10âÂÂ0 and beating them on mercy rule.
In the Semifinal match, the team was once again matched up against their arch-rivals Japan. The first half of the game was very tight as Japan was leading 2âÂÂ1 going into the 7th inning. South Korea soon tied the ballgame at 2 apiece in the bottom half, then took the lead in the 8th thanks in large part to Lee Seung-Yeop's clutch 2-run home run. South Korea added 2 more runs that inning. South Korea eventually ended with a 6âÂÂ2 victory. In the finals they overcame the perennial favorites Cuba for the second time in the tournament, surviving a bases-loaded 9th inning situation with a double play to win the game 3âÂÂ2, allowing South Korea to obtain their gold medal for Baseball. South Korea also earned 12 other gold medals during the Olympics making them the second highest gold medalist country after China in Asia.
The South Korean team playing in the 2006 World Baseball Classic included not just South Korean players based in South Korea, but South Korean players in the U.S. from Major League Baseball. In the Classic, the team played in and won every game they played in Pool A. They advanced to round two, again winning all three games to secure a place in the semifinals. Upon reaching the semifinals, the South Korean government announced that it would waive for the players on the team the mandatory two-year military service required of all young South Korean men. However, at the semifinals, the South Korean team lost to Japan, whom they had beaten twice previously. This led to controversy over the regulations of the WBC concerning the fact that South Korea had to face Japan three times and that it was Japan that was allowed to go to the finals, when it had four victories and three losses up to that point, two of those losses to South Korea, while the South Korean team, which had only one loss and had already beaten Japan twice, was eliminated from the finals.
South Korea competed in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, playing the first round in Pool A in Tokyo. South Korea opened the tournament with a 7âÂÂ0 rout of Chinese Taipei. South Korea then lost to Japan in a 14âÂÂ2 contest shortened to 7 innings by the WBC's early termination rule. In its third game, South Korea soundly defeated China 14âÂÂ0 in a similarly shortened contest, securing advancement to the second round and ousting China from the tournament. South Korea won the final Pool A game by a 1âÂÂ0 win over Japan in order to advance as the Pool A winner. In Pool 1, the round 2 of the WBC, South Korea beat Mexico 8âÂÂ2 and then went on to beat Japan again 4âÂÂ1, securing advancement to the semifinals. South Korea beat Venezuela 10âÂÂ2 to secure a spot on the finals. In the final game however, South Korea lost to Japan 5âÂÂ3.
South Korea competed in the 2013 World Baseball Classic for the third time, playing the first round in Pool B at the Taichung Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan, facing the Netherlands, Chinese Taipei and Australia. The Korean team lost the first game against the Netherlands 5âÂÂ0, but won two next games against Chinese Taipei and Australia. Despite this, South Korea was eliminated in the first round for the first time since advancing to the semi-finals in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. However, even after elimination, South Korea earned their direct qualification to the upcoming 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Team South Korea won the 2015 WBSC Premier12 Tournament.
South Korea lost the first game in the first round to surprising newcomers Israel, 2âÂÂ1 in 10 innings. They also lost their second game against the Netherlands 5âÂÂ0. They were eliminated for the second time ever, after their poor performance at the 2013 World Baseball Classic, as Israel and the Netherlands advanced to the next round. South Korea took third place in the pool, as it beat Taiwan in 10 innings, 11âÂÂ8.
South Korea is facing Israel, the Netherlands, and Taiwan in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.
Team South Korea came in second in the 12-team 2019 WBSC Premier12 Tournament, which was held in November 2019. Two quota spots were allocated from the Tournament, of the spots for six baseball teams at the 2020 Olympic Games, with South Korea qualifying as the top finisher from the Asia/Oceana territory (other than Japan, which already qualified as host).
In January 2020, the WBC announced the 16 national teams which participated at the 2017 World Baseball Classic, which included South Korea, will automatically qualify for the tournament.
South Korea is participating at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, where they have advanced to the quarterfinal stage for the first time since 2009.
The following is a list of professional baseball match results currently active in the latest version of the WBSC World Rankings, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.
2010 Asian Games Baseball was held in Guangzhou, China from November 13 to 19, 2010. Only a men's competition was held. All games were played at the Aoti Baseball Field. South Korea beat Chinese Taipei 9âÂÂ3 in the final to win the gold medal.
2014 Asian Games Baseball was held in Incheon, South Korea from September 22 to 28, 2014. All games were played at the Munhak Baseball Stadium and Mokdong Baseball Stadium. South Korea beat Chinese Taipei 6âÂÂ3 in the final to win the gold medal.
The following players are called up to participate in the 2026 World Baseball Classic:
Manager: 6 Ryu Ji-hyun
Coaches: Bench 21 Kang In-kwon, Hitting 89 Lee Jin-young, Pitching 77 Kim Kwang-sam, First base 85 Lee Dong-wook, Third base 72 Kim Jae-gul, Bullpen 88 Ryu Taek-hyun, Quality control 92 Choi Won-ho, Training 75 Kim Yong-il