SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Shohei Ohtani may be South Korea's most-beloved Japanese athlete, a testament to his charm in softening any lingering animosity between the two neighbors.
“I think Ohtani would perhaps be the first Japanese athlete who we can say we like.
After his arrival in South Korea, he told reporters that he’s always respected South Korea’s national teams and called South Korea “one of my favorite countries."
In 2019, a forced-labor issue triggered widespread public campaigns in South Korea to boycott Japanese goods and services.
But despite their often-rocky political relations, South Korea and Japan are closely linked to each other culturally and economically.
Persons:
covets, ”, Lee Jong, “, Hwang Seon, he’s, Yoon Suk, Heung, ” Lee, ___
Organizations:
Major League Baseball, San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Korean, Dodgers, Seoul’s Hanyang University, Ohtani’s South, South, Twitter, Tottenham Hotspur
Locations:
SEOUL, South Korea, Korean, Japan, Korea, South Koreans