Kyoto International High School, which became the first Korean-born school to win the Japan National High School Baseball Championship (Summer Koshien).
Kyoto Chosun Middle School, established in 1947 by Koreans in Japan voluntarily raising money for national education, is the predecessor. It was officially approved by the Japanese government in 2003 and received regular students. A small Korean school with a total of 160 students. 65% of enrolled students are Japanese, and about 30% are Korean. Although the majority of Japanese students are Japanese students, the Korean school song "Yamado (大和··Yamato)" is maintained as it is, "Our ancestors' old dreams are holy across East Sea".
Japan's public broadcaster NHK, which broadcasts all Koshien games, broadcasts scenes of participating school players singing school songs with school song subtitles. The scene in which the majority of Kyoto International High School baseball members sing Korean school songs even if they are Japanese players leaves a deep lingering impression on Korean society, Korean and Japanese fans.
Yonhap News
Yonhap News
Their journey to the top of Japan was never easy.
Due to the small size itself, it was not easy to provide ample support to the baseball team. It was difficult to get sponsorship due to various circumstances. The baseball team members concentrated on practicing late into the night with plastic-taped baseballs. Baseball boys who devoted their youth to the dream of advancing to Koshien.
The KIA Tigers gave them a helping hand.
Shim Jae-hak, general manager of KIA who set up Future's (second division) camp in Kochi Prefecture, Japan early this year, learned the pitiful situation of Kyoto International High School from local baseball officials. After much consideration, Shim and KIA donated 1,000 balls that could be used among the practice balls used in the Futures camp to Kyoto International High School.
Yonhap News
Yonhap News
KBO League teams going to overseas camps present practice balls to schools near the camp site for free. Initially, the KIA Futures team also planned to provide practice balls to the Kochi-hyeon Youth Baseball Team, the camp site. He chose to reduce the number of balls a little and add a baseball to send to Kyoto International High School.
Kyoto International High School sent a letter of gratitude and an invitation to KIA in March for the starting high school baseball tournament (Spring Koshien), but General Manager Shim could not visit Japan due to league schedule.
Head Shim said "As Kyoto International High School advanced to the final of the Koshien tournament, our club's support was unexpectedly known."`"Choi Joon-young, CEO of KIA Tigers, also expressed his hope that we can continue our good relationship.' An official from KIA also said, `It was a small thought to be a little helpful to students who are training hard in difficult conditions, but it is something to congratulate that we have achieved such a good result.' `I will consider ways to continue my good relationship with Kyoto International High School in the future" he said.
