Korea national baseball team manager Ryu Ji-hyun claps before the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 final against Japan at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi, Japan, on Sept. 27.NEWS1
Korea national baseball team manager Ryu Ji-hyun will take charge of the Hanwha Eagles after leading the national team to the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals and Asian Games gold this year.
The Eagles named Ryu its 15th manager on Tuesday on a three-year contract worth a total of 2 billion won ($1.5 million), the club announced.
Ryu began his professional career with the LG Twins in 1994, immediately secured the starting shortstop job and went on to win Rookie of the Year.
He managed the Twins for two seasons beginning in 2021 and led the club to the postseason. Ryu became the full-time manager of the Korean national team last year and guided the side to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic and a gold medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
The Eagles reached the Korean Series last year for the first time in 19 years but fell back to ninth place this season. The club decided not to renew manager Kim Kyung-moon’s contract and began searching for a replacement.
“We determined that Ryu is the right person to achieve the club’s goal of developing into a consistently strong team,” the Eagles said.
The new manager thanked the club for entrusting him with the Eagles.
“Together with the best fans, I will build on our victories as we move toward becoming a stronger team, and I will do my best to establish Hanwha as the prestigious club envisioned by the organization," Ryu said after signing the contract.
Korean players toss manager Ryu Ji-hyun into the air after beating Japan 3-1 to win the baseball gold medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Toyohashi Municipal Baseball Stadium in Aichi, Japan, on Sept. 27.NEWS1
The Eagles also named former management support chief Seok Jang-hyun as their new general manager. The position had been vacant following the departures of former manager Kim and former general manager Son Hyuk.
Seok joined Hanwha in 2003 and has worked across the organization in scouting, public relations and operations. He later served as head of the strategy team and chief of the management support division.
Seok is the first person who began his career as a Hanwha employee to become the club’s general manager.
“His deep understanding of the club has made him the right person to realize our vision together with Ryu,” the Eagles said.
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.
