Baseball is the most popular sport in South Korea. Over ten thousand audiences on average prove it. However, South Korea's baseball team fell short of their fans' expectations. South Korea, the defending champion of baseball in the Olympics, is now fighting not for a gold medal but for a bronze medal against the Dominican Republic.

▲ South Korea`s baseball team was blocked by Japan`s

Before the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, South Korea's baseball team was considered as the favorite. However, they won with much difficulty against Israel and the Dominican Republic, the relatively considered as weaker teams than South Korea. They managed to go up to the semi-final round, but they were not able to jump over Japan. They were defeated by Japan with a score of 2-5. Although they lost in the game, they still had a game against the U.S. If they won, they could have had a revenge match against Japan in the final round. However, they lost the game against the U.S. with a score of 2-7. Now, they have to combat against the Dominican Republic's baseball team for a bronze medal.

▲ The South Korea`s baseball team has won the victory for many times.

South Korea is a traditionally strong team for baseball. They are third in rank, and next to Japan and the U.S. They won the victory in many contests such as Olympics, Premier 12, and Asian games. However, South Korea did not get a good point in the recent contests. Also, they are wrapped in a variety of controversies. The biggest thing is the exemption from military service. The South Korean government invests an exemption from the military service for the players who get a medal in the Olympics or a gold medal in the Asian Games. The baseball players can also get it. However, in Tokyo Olympics, there are only six teams in the baseball game. If they only do at least half, they can get a medal and an exemption. So, people criticized them because they do not play hard.

The baseball team of South Korea will not join the event anymore at the end of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Originally, they ended their membership in 2008. However, Japan, which is the host country, added the baseball team to the Olympic events. The bronze medal match will be held on Aug 7, 2021. As this is the last Olympics for them, I wish South Korea's baseball team would achieve the merit of a successful conclusion.

By Yejun Byun