South Korean baseball is returning to the core of the Baseball Federation of Asia after a four-year absence.
Yang Hae-young, head of the Korea Baseball Softball Association, won election as a BFA vice president in Taipei, starnewskorea.com reported on Jan. 12.
The BFA general assembly gathered to form a new executive board to guide Asian baseball through 2030. Jeffrey Koo Jr. of Taiwan secured re-election as president, while Yang, Hiroko Yamada of Japan, and Bin Xie of China took up vice-presidential seats.
The entire slate of previous vice presidents was replaced, marking Yang’s return to the continental leadership role after four years. To manage a growing number of member countries, the BFA expanded its executive committee from three members to five.
Yang spent decades in sports administration, joining the Korea Baseball Organization in 1988. He worked as planning chief, public relations director, deputy secretary-general, and head of KBOP before serving as KBO secretary-general from 2011 to 2017. He took charge of the KBSA in January of last year.
The election gives South Korea a voice in regional administration, international tournament operations, and cooperation among member federations. The country had temporarily slipped from the center of the regional governing body.
“Korea, which was temporarily excluded from activating cooperation and exchanges among BFA member countries, has returned to the center of the executive branch,” Yang said, according to starnewskorea.com.
“We have laid the foundation to actively participate in Asian baseball administration and contribute to its development,” Yang told starnewskorea.com.
South Korea also maintains high-level representation in regional softball administration. Kim Eun-young, vice president of the KBSA, secured her third term as vice president of the Softball Confederation Asia last January, holding her position through 2030.
| Official | Position | Country |
|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Koo Jr. | President | Taiwan |
| Yang Hae-young | Vice President | South Korea |
| Hiroko Yamada | Vice President | Japan |
| Bin Xie | Vice President | China |
“Amid the broad current of Asian baseball led by Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, I will do my best to guide the growth and development of other member countries so that Asian baseball as a whole can secure stronger competitiveness on the world stage,” Yang told starnewskorea.com.
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