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Moon Bo-gyeong's social media flooded with hate comments after Korea advances to WBC quarterfinals

Published: 10 Mar. 2026, 14:36 Updated: 12 Mar. 2026, 14:16

Moon Bo-gyeong celebrates after hitting an RBI double in the top of the third inning during the final Pool C game between Korea and Australia at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [YONHAP]

Taiwanese internet users flooded Korean player Moon Bo-gyeong’s social media with abusive comments after Korea advanced to the World Baseball Classic (WBC) quarterfinals with a win over Australia that eliminated Chinese Taipei.

Korea beat the odds to defeat Australia 7–2 in a Pool C game at Tokyo Dome in Japan on Monday. Based on earlier results, Korea had needed to win by at least five runs and allow no more than two runs to advance to the knockout stage.

Moon led the win, going 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs. Lee Jung-hoo, Kim Do-yeong and Ahn Hyun-min each added an RBI as well, allowing Korea to secure the five-run margin needed to advance.

Shortly after the game, however, tens of thousands of Taiwanese internet users began leaving hostile comments on Moon's social media account.

Under his post of a photo from the game, captioned “Let’s go to Miami,” users wrote derogatory remarks, such as “Koreans are useless,” “Korea is a terrible country” and “You’ll be eliminated soon in the quarterfinals.”

Some users also accused Moon of deliberately striking out in his final at-bat, commenting, “You intentionally struck out to eliminate Taiwan.”

Moon struck out swinging in three pitches with two outs and a runner on first in the top of the ninth inning, with Korea leading 7–2, a score that eliminated Chinese Taipei's chances of progressing. Further Korean runs were irrelevant; it was all about stopping Australia in the bottom of the ninth.

If Australia had scored at least three or Korea had won by a margin smaller than five runs, Chinese Taipei — which held the better runs-allowed ratio — would have advanced to the quarterfinals instead.

Korean players celebrate after beating Australia in a Pool C game at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [YONHAP]

A few users even left extreme comments wishing Moon harm, including, “I hope your plane to Miami crashes.” Others mocked national tragedies such as the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster or referenced political issues.

But other Taiwanese internet users criticized the abusive comments.

“This is only the opinion of some people, not everyone,” one user wrote. Others agreed, writing, “We need to behave with more grace,” and “Korea played well. Taiwan needs to accept it.”

This marks the first time in 17 years that Korea has advanced to the WBC quarterfinals. The players will fly to Miami, where the knockout stage will take place, on Tuesday.

Korea will face the Pool D winner for a place in the semifinals at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.

Moon Bo-gyeong of Korea celebrates after winning Australia in a Pool C game at the World Baseball Classic at Tokyo Dome in Japan on March 9. [YONHAP]

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HYEON YE-SEUL [[email protected]]