"Korean School Anthem Again with 'Donghae Bada Geonneoseo'... Korean-American High School Advances to Top 4 in Koshien"

Complete Victory Against the Team That Defeated Us 3 Years Ago
The Summer Examination Tournament Marks Its 106th Year This Year

At Koshien, the sacred ground of Japanese high school baseball, a Korean school anthem echoed once again. On the 19th, Kyoto International High School, a Korean-Japanese school located in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, won 4-0 against Jibengakuen High School in the quarterfinals of the National High School Baseball Championship held at Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. After the game ended, as customary, the winning school's anthem played throughout the stadium, and not only the crowd filling the venue but also viewers heard the Kyoto International High School anthem starting with "Across the East Sea, the Yamato (大和) land is the sacred dream place of our ancestors."

On the 19th, at Hanshin Koshien Stadium in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture, Kyoto Kokusai High School players, who secured their place in the semifinals of the Summer Koshien finals, are running across the field in celebration of their victory.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

With this victory, Kyoto International High School, a Korean ethnic school in Japan, succeeded in advancing to the semifinals of the National High School Baseball Championship, known as the "Summer Koshien," for the first time in three years. In the game, Kyoto International scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, 1 run in the bottom of the 5th, and 1 run in the bottom of the 7th to secure the win. After the quarterfinal victory, the players singing the anthem in Korean was broadcast nationwide in Japan through NHK. At Koshien, the participating schools' anthems are played, and NHK broadcasts almost all games. Previously, Kyoto International won their first-round game 7-3, second-round game 4-0, and third-round game 4-0. The semifinal will be held on the 21st.

Started in 1915 and marking its 106th edition this year, the Summer Koshien is Japan's representative high school baseball tournament and is known as the "dream game" for local high school players. This year, out of 3,715 schools across Japan, 49 schools that earned their spots through regional qualifiers advanced to the main tournament. Hanshin Koshien Stadium celebrates its 100th anniversary of construction this year.

Kyoto International High School joined the Japan High School Baseball Federation in 1999 and achieved the remarkable feat of reaching the semifinals in their first Summer Koshien main tournament appearance in 2021. In the 2022 Summer Koshien main tournament, they narrowly lost in the first round, and last year they did not qualify for the main tournament. Baek Seung-hwan, principal of Kyoto International High School, expressed his thoughts, saying, "I am pleased that baseball has created an opportunity for the school's development and for the Korean community to unite."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.