TAIPEI: South Korea defeated Cuba 8-4 Thursday for its first win at the World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 in Taipei, bouncing back after a dispiriting loss to Chinese Taipei in the tournament opener the previous day. Kim Do-yeong, the leading MVP candidate in the Korea Baseball Organization this year, blasted two home runs, including a grand slam off starter Livan Moinelo in the six-run second inning in the Group B game at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in the Taiwanese capital. South Korean starter Gwak Been tossed four shutout innings and struck out five. According to Yonhap News Agency, South Korea will next take on Japan on Friday at Taipei Dome. The first pitch is 6 p.m. local time, or 7 p.m. in South Korea. The rivalry showdown will be followed by games against the Dominican Republic on Saturday and Australia on Monday. The top two teams from Group B after round-robin action will qualify for the Super Round, with the two best teams from Group A joining them. Following the 6-3 defeat at t he hands of Chinese Taipei, South Korea will likely have to win out to have a shot at reaching the Super Round. Japan is considered one of the title favorites, despite missing its major league stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. South Korea has lost to Japan in their past six meetings at international baseball tournaments.