South Korean powerhouse Kim Tae-yong reunites with Chinese classmate Li Yeon from Dongcheng High School in Gwangju. They talk about their old friendship on the eve of the Asian Games gold medal match.

South Korea beat Kim and defeated him. (Provided by Nagoya Asian Games Preparatory Committee)

[Reporter Lu Yangxuan/Comprehensive Report] The South Korean team defeated China 9:2 in the Nagoya Asian Games Baseball Super Cycle yesterday, and successfully entered the gold medal match. Tonight, they will compete with the host Japan for the gold. Li Yanen, a member of the current Chinese team, studied in South Korea, and still beat Jin Yong, a junior student, and his background attracted the attention of the Korean media.

"OSEN" reported that when the Chinese team announced before the game yesterday that the starting line-up and the ninth bat would be shortstop Li Yeon, it triggered a discussion among South Korean fans. Li Yeon went to South Korea to study in junior high school, and then attended Gwangju Dongseong High School. In high school, he was an outfielder with good footwork and arm strength. He was undrafted in the KBO draft in 2024. Now he plays for the Shanghai team in the Chinese Baseball League. Yesterday, he faced 4 goals against South Korea and swallowed 2K.

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South Korea's main gun Kim Do-young is from Gwangju Dongseong High School. He faced China yesterday with 4 hits, 1 hit and 1 RBI. Korean media pointed out that Kim Do-young, who was born in 2003, is 1 year older than Lee Yeon-eun, but because Lee Yeon-eun had repeated a year, when Kim Do-young was a senior in high school, Lee Yeon-eun was a freshman in high school. Kim Do-yong was asked after the game if When I remembered Li Yanen, he responded without thinking, "I remember very clearly. We often chatted in the dormitory. I never thought that we would meet again in this way. He contacted me during this Asian Games. I also thought at the time, could he also become a national team player? It turned out that he was actually selected. It is really amazing."

"OSEN" described in the title that this was a "fateful reunion." When asked what kind of player Li Yanen was in high school, Jin Daoyong said, "His feet are really fast, and he likes me very much." Jin Daoyong explained, "Because he is away from home, I also want to take more care of him, and we even do heavy training together every day. We have a good relationship."

Kim Soo-yong recently faced Japan's 4-0 team in the Super Cycle. Yesterday, he bid farewell to China and hit a low point. As for facing Japan again in the gold medal game, he said that the game against Japan is the highlight, so he hopes to make good adjustments when facing China. He is very happy that he played well in the last one. "I feel like I can play with a better mood tomorrow."