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| Kyoto International High School captain Fujimoto, who received the winner of the exam. Yonhap News |
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| Yonhap News |
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| Pitcher Nishimura and Okui catcher who hug each other after confirming the victory in the Gosien. Yonhap News |
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The South Korean president congratulated Kyoto International High School on its first victory in the Gosien. However, comments such as 'Korean school song' and 'Proud and courage of Koreans in Japan' are causing a flurry of controversies in the region.
Koshien is a sacred place for Japanese baseball. The final of the National High School Baseball Championship (Summer Koshien) is a stage where the greatest attention of Japanese baseball is focused, perhaps surpassing the Japan Series.
There, a Korean school song rang out. Koshien's school song is the winner's right. Kyoto International High School beat Kanto Jeil High School (Kanto Daiichi High School) 2-1 in the summer Koshien final on the 23rd after 10 extra innings. Yahoo Japan, Japan's largest portal site, broke the news of Kyoto International High School's victory, and thousands of comments were posted in an article delivered by the Asahi Shimbun, the organizer of the tournament.
Kyoto International High School is a so-called `ethnic school' under the Korean-Japanese Civil Corps. It opened in 1947 as Kyoto Chosun Middle School.
The baseball team was established in 1999, and it was approved as a general school outside of the ethnic school in 2003. The following year, Japanese students also started receiving them. A small school with 160 students, most of the students are now Japanese.
The baseball team is special among them. All of the baseball team members are players scouted from the outside. They are baseball youths who escaped Tokyo, Osaka, and Kanagawa Prefecture, the biggest battlegrounds in high school baseball, and moved to Kyoto (73 schools), the battlegrounds of the government office, aiming for the Koshien final.
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| Yonhap News |
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| Yonhap News |
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Things have changedHowever, the Korean school song that begins with 'Yamado (Yamato) land across the East Sea is a holy old dream seat of our ancestors' remains the same. He first made the national stage at Koshien in the spring of 2021, and advanced to the semifinals in the summer of understanding. This year, he even won the championship.
This year, amid the gust of Kyoto International High School, many people in Japan criticized Korean language school songs and ethnic school lessons. NHK broadcasting broadcasting that distorts 'East Sea' to the East Sea' and 'Korea Academy' to the Korea-Japan Academy is a representative example.
In one way or another, Kyoto International High School won the Koshien title this year, and Kyoto International High School players who lined up with the Kanto Jeil High School squad after the final sang a loud school song.
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| President Yoon Suk Yeol. Sports Chosun DB |
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President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is famous for baseball fanatics, said on social media that day, "After crossing the East Sea, the land of Yamado Island is a holy place of our ancestors' old dreams..."' The Korean school song of Kyoto International High School resonated vigorously at the Koshien Final Stadium. Congratulations to Kyoto International High School on your victory in Koshien" he posted.
The miraculous achievements made in poor conditions gave pride and courage to Koreans in Japan. I hope that Korea and Japan become closer through baseball. Baseball is great. It creates a lot of emotion."
President Yoon Suk Yeol applauded the fighting spirit and passion of the players who played so hard that the uniform was not successful even when they were confirmed to advance to the final. I will support you as much as I can," he said, sending a message of encouragement.
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| President Yoon Suk Yeol. Sports Chosun DB |
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Local netizens' responses are mixed. Considering the recent relationship between Korea and Japan, the Korean president's comment congratulating Kyoto International High School has adverse effects', 'NHK subtitles made me think that I don't want to get into a controversy. The Korean president seems to think differently', 'I wanted to hear a Japanese school song at least at the end', 'It's a mistake to say that the team that sings Korean school songs is representative of Kyoto' and 'Why do they sing Korean school songs when all the players are Japanese?'
On the other hand, I want to congratulate the players who won the Koshien championship by working hard regardless of other things', 'The strong team won. The baseball content was excellent. There were also comments focusing on baseball, such as 'Don't bring politics in' and 'Congratulations to the winning team and the runner-up team'.
lunarfly@sportschosun.com
