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South Korea Moved
Kyoto International High School, rooted in a Korean ethnic school, has claimed the summer Koshien tournament title. This news has sparked excitement throughout South Korea.
As Kyoto International secured their victory, almost all media in South Korea rushed to report the news, and videos of the Korean school anthem playing in Koshien Stadium after the game were quickly uploaded online with comments like “It brings tears to my eyes” flooding in.
A South Korean television news report covering Kyoto International High School’s victory in the national high school baseball championship – Seoul Station (photo: Kyodo News)View enlarged image
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The political realm also reacted. President Yoon Suk-yeol and Foreign Minister Park Jin, among many other politicians from both ruling and opposition parties, sent congratulatory messages.
Moreover, immediately after Kyoto International’s victory was confirmed, the Presidential Office of Yoon Suk-yeol distributed a four-page press release titled “Kyoto International High School (Summer Koshien Champion) Reference Material” to reporters.
This document included detailed explanations about Kyoto International’s past match results at Koshien, as well as the current status of Kyoto International and its baseball team. It also provided information about the support from the South Korean government (Ministry of Education) and introduced professional players from Japan and South Korea who are alumni of Kyoto International’s baseball team, making it a well-prepared reference material.
Particularly, in the section that discussed Kyoto International’s history, it emphasized that “despite facing a potential closure, it has been operated with the support of the South Korean government, Korean residents in Japan, and some visionary Japanese, serving as a foundation for future educational exchanges and cooperation between Korea and Japan.”