Choo Shin-soo (SSG), who played 16 seasons in the major leagues and 2 seasons in the KBO league, spoke out, but faced criticism from most fans.
Choo Shin-soo’s explanation for not participating in the national team in the past is not receiving sympathy from fans. In particular, the remarks related to Ahn Woo-jin show the national sentiment in Korea and the sense of gap with the meaning of the Taegeuk mark that the people feel.
Even if Ahn Woo-jin’s remarks are out of the question, Choo Shin-soo said, “It’s frustrating to criticize without knowing the situation” over the national team’s absence. However, he closed his mouth about his absence from the WBC in 2013 in order to focus on his team and individual performance ahead of the 2017 FA season, not the WBC, which he missed due to injury.
The 2013 WBC was the first international tournament since Choo Shin-soo received a military service exemption after winning a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. The KBO wanted Choo Shin-soo to join the national team, but Choo Shin-soo did not participate. This is the part where fans are disappointed.
In 2009, the WBC pointed out that Choo Shin-soo, who had attended despite the dissuade from his club, changed his attitude towards the Taegeuk mark after winning the gold medal.
FA is an important job for players. You can’t criticize that choice unconditionally. However, Shin-soo Choo emphasized, “There is no reason for me not to attend international competitions,” but it is true that he did not participate in the WBC when he was healthy in 2013.
Fans are pouring out uncomfortable feelings about Choo Shin-soo, who was not active in the national team after receiving military service benefits, and now raises his voice on the formation of the national team.
Former coach Kim Gyeong-moon, who led the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2019 Premier 12, and 2021 Tokyo Olympics, 메이저놀이터 mentioned Oh Seung-hwan while talking about baseball with a reporter last year. He said, “I respect Oh Seung-hwan. I really respect you,” he said, expressing his sincere gratitude to Oh Seung-hwan, who participated in the Tokyo Olympics. It was an unusual compliment to the point of even using the word ‘respect’ for a junior.
At the time, the team atmosphere was stagnant as pitcher Han Hyun-hee voluntarily resigned from the national team for violating Corona 19 quarantine. Coach Kim selected veteran Oh Seung-hwan as a replacement player in the absence of Han Hyun-hee.
Coach Kim said, “The corona issue broke out, and the KBO league and national team were in the worst mood. He thought that a senior officer should hold the center, so he chose Oh Seung-hwan.”
At the same time, director Kim said, “I was very grateful to Oh Seung-hwan.” Prior to deciding on a replacement player, coach Kim called Oh Seung-hwan and asked him to help him. Oh Seung-hwan, who was resting at the mention of being selected for the national team, replied, “I will pack my bags and go right away.”
After joining the national team late, Seung-Hwan Oh created the atmosphere of the original team by giving various advice to the pitchers. He told his juniors, “In a short game, pitchers have to throw carefully because one ball can make the difference between winning and losing. In a situation where the ball count is high, he does not need to force strikes.” He also said that he shared information about the baseball field with his experience in Japan and played a good role as a senior.