Eou Hong, who led Korea to 1982 Baseball World Championship, dies at 95

Eou Hong, the former South Korean national baseball team manager who guided the country to the top of the world in 1982, has died at 95.

The Korea Baseball Organization announced Wednesday that Eou died at 4:49 p.m. that day.

In recognition of his contributions to Korean baseball, his funeral will be held under KBO auspices. The funeral home is located at Bundang Jesaeng Hospital, Room 2. The departure ceremony is set for 5:30 a.m. Friday, with burial at Yongin Pyeongonesup.

Eou first made a name for himself in baseball when he won the outstanding player award at the third National District Representative Middle School Baseball Championship — now known as the Golden Lion Flag tournament — in 1949.

After graduating from Sungkyunkwan University, he played for industrial baseball teams including Joseon Jeongeop and Namseon Jeongi before transitioning into coaching after retirement, dedicating himself to developing the next generation of players.

Particularly known for leading teams in the Busan area, he was called the "godfather of Busan baseball." As manager of Busan Commercial High School, Gyeongnam High School and Dong-A University, he mentored some of the most prominent figures in Korean baseball history, including Kim Eung-yong, Kang Byeong-cheol, Heo Gu-yeon and Kim Yong-hui.

Appointed manager of the national team in 1981, Eou led Korea to victory at the 27th Baseball World Championship, held in Seoul in September the following year. The squad, featuring players such as Kim Jae-bak, Choi Dong-won, Han Dae-hwa and Sun Dong-yeol, went 8-1 in the tournament to claim the title.

The final against Japan on the last day of the tournament is remembered as one of the greatest games in Korean baseball history. Starting pitcher Sun Dong-yeol went the full nine innings to complete the victory, making Korea the first Asian nation to win the Baseball World Championship.

In recognition of those achievements, Eou received the Girin Order of Sports Merit and the World Baseball Federation's Manager of the Year award, among other honors.

After the launch of professional baseball, he managed the MBC Blue Dragons from 1984 to 1985 and the Lotte Giants from 1988 to 1989, finishing his KBO League career with 177 wins.

Even after stepping down as manager, he remained active in baseball circles. He served as the inaugural chairman of the Ilgu Association in 1991 and as a special adviser to the KBO commissioner from that year through 1996. He also chaired the KBO Rules Committee from 1992 to 1996 and continued to serve on the KBO's senior advisory panel. In 2014, he became the founding chairman of the selection committee for the Choi Dong-won Award, established in honor of the late pitcher Choi Dong-won.