Seoul As South Korea prepares for the final international baseball tournament of the year in Tokyo, national team manager Choi Won-ho expressed his desire for young players to use the event as a developmental opportunity.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Choi and the South Korean team traveled to Tokyo for the Asia Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), which is scheduled to take place from Thursday to Sunday at Tokyo Dome. Competing against Japan, Australia, and Taiwan, South Korea's first match will be against Australia on Thursday, followed by games against Japan and Taiwan on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The tournament will conclude with a third-place match and a final on Sunday.

The APBC is designed for players aged 24 or younger, with each team allowed to include up to three players between 24 and 29 years old or those with no more than three years of professional experience. The South Korean team primarily comprises players from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), born on or after January 1, 2002, while the over-age players must be born on or after January 1, 1997.

Choi noted the players' strong performance in recent scrimmages and expressed optimism about their potential showing in the tournament. The team includes standout players such as Kia Tigers' Kim Do-yeong, the 2024 KBO regular-season MVP, who hit 45 home runs this year. Despite his past leadoff appearances, Choi plans to adjust Kim's batting position based on the players' conditions after the Korean Series.

South Korea aims to end its 11-game losing streak against Japan, the tournament favorite, with Choi planning to give all players exposure to Japanese baseball's high standards. Kim, confident in his form, emphasized focusing on the tournament rather than future Olympic qualifiers.

Team captain Han Dong-hee, from the Lotte Giants, reiterated the goal of winning the tournament, underscoring the team's intent to succeed beyond gaining experience.