TAIPEI: South Korea fell to Chinese Taipei 6-3 in the crucial first game of the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament in Taipei on Wednesday, digging itself an early hole in the opening stage. South Korean starter Ko Young-pyo surrendered a grand slam and a two-run home run in the fateful second inning in front of a sellout crowd of 40,000 at Taipei Dome in the Taiwanese capital, and his teammates at the plate managed only three hits in the loss. According to Yonhap News Agency, this was the opening Group B game for both countries. South Korea will next face Cuba at 6 p.m. Thursday local time (7 p.m. in South Korea) at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium in Taipei. South Korea will then play Japan on Friday, the Dominican Republic on Saturday and Australia on Monday. The top two teams after round-robin action will qualify for the Super Round, with the two best teams from Group A also advancing. South Korea will likely have to win out to have a shot at making the final four. Tokyo will host all Super Round games, including the bronze medal contest and the final on Nov. 24. This is the third edition of the Premier12, which features the top dozen teams in the WBSC rankings at the end of 2023. South Korea won the inaugural tournament in 2015 and finished as the runner-up to Japan in 2019. South Korea manager Ryu Joong-il has put together a youthful team, with 18 of the 28 players at 25 or younger, with an eye toward the 2026 World Baseball Classic and the 2028 Summer Olympics.