Team Korea revels in Saipan’s tropical weather ahead of WBC

South Korea’s World Baseball Classic hopefuls soaked up Saipan’s tropical weather while sharpening their skills during a far from ordinary ten-day training camp. Managed by Ji-hyun Ryu and featuring Los Angeles Dodgers utility infielder Hyeseong Kim, the team made the most of the island’s warm climate, modern facilities, and short flight from Korea as they get their early preparations in for the 2026 WBC.

The camp ran from Jan. 10 to Jan. 20, with coaches using the sessions to evaluate talent and move closer to a final 30-man roster for March. The last members of the team left on Jan. 21, with the players reconvening with their clubs before they meet up again for another training camp in February, this time in Okinawa, Japan.

In an exclusive interview with manager Ji-hyun Ryu during a mid-camp training session one week in, he said through interpreter Sung-hyun Yoo that the camp was going well. With Korea still in winter, Ryu said that Saipan provided optimal weather—despite some rainy days—and the short flight made it ideal for their first training camp.

Their focus during the camp, he said, was conditioning and building up their pitchers for both the WBC and the KBO season afterward.

The team used the track and field, the weightroom, the baseball field, and the bullpen, with Ryu scouting the facilities in 2025. When he saw the facilities, he said he was very satisfied and thought that it “will be helpful for our team to build our conditions here.”

Ryu said that he himself has trained in Saipan in 2009 before when he was a pro baseball player, and that also some of the players in the camp had visited Saipan before. When asked if they had the chance to go around and do some sightseeing, he said that they did not have enough time in between their training.

But to cap it off, Ryu said, “we reached the goal of building up our condition before going back to Korea.” When asked if they would consider coming back to train, he said he likes Saipan, so if they have a chance, they would want to come back. He did add that he was sad that the T-Galleria shut down.

With fans of all ages and the community coming out to watch them train, the players said they felt happy and thankful. Hyeseong Kim and other players took time to hand out autographs after each of their training sessions. NMI’s young baseball player Tatum Jones, who got some baseballs signed by Kim on the first day of training, Jan. 10, said the experience was “Very amazing, very cool… Hyeseong is the top rookie right now… they were really cool, very understanding with us. I’m very thankful that I got to stay here—shoutout to my parents for letting me stay.”

LG Twins second baseman Min‑nae Shin, speaking through interpreter Dyeokyeol Baek, said of his time in Saipan, “Good weather preparing for WBC and under the nice field. It’s nice—so far, so good. It’s my first time visiting Saipan.” On the facilities, he admitted that he had expected them to be bad, but after training on the field, he said it was actually very nice. Shin also addressed the fans directly: “Thank you for welcoming us, and if there is another chance to visit here, I will take the opportunity to work out in Saipan again.”

A total of 29 players took part in South Korea’s first training camp ahead of the 2026 WBC in March, with 16 pitchers and 13 position players from the Korean Baseball Organization League and Major League Baseball.

Some of the players in the camp with Hyeseong Kim and Min-nae Shin included pitching captain Hyun-jin Ryu and veteran reliever Kyung-eun Noh of the Hanwha Eagles and SSG Landers, along with Woo-seok Go (Detroit Tigers organization).

South Korea also plans to add several MLB players after the initial camp, but their participation depends on club approval and WBC eligibility rules. Jung‑hoo Lee of the San Francisco Giants is likely to join, with Ha‑seong Kim of the Atlanta Braves and Sung-mun Song of the San Diego Padres both pulling out due to injury. The team is also looking at U.S. based players of Korean descent like pitcher Riley O’Brien (St. Louis Cardinals) and outfielder Jahmai Jones (Detroit Tigers).

This marks the start of CNMI hosting international teams for their practices and more tournaments once again after the unveiling of a new 4-mound pitcher’s bullpen on Jan. 9.