Lee Ki-hyuk: "If Japan has a problem, they should stop making excuses and field a U-23 team instead"[AG]

Lee Ki-hyuk: "If Japan has a problem, they should stop making excuses and field a U-23 team instead"[AG]
m.sports.naver.com
Aware of the situation, Lee Ki-hyuk showed respect to the opponent, stating, "Even though Japan's players are U-21, their skills are great and they manage the game skillfully. I felt that we also need to grow more."
However, he expressed his firm stance, saying, "If they are that dissatisfied with us fielding U-23 players, then Japan can just match us by fielding a U-23 team as well. It is within the regulations, but they chose to field a younger age group and now everything they say afterward is just an excuse. It wasn't pleasant to hear."
During this tournament, various operational issues occurred, such as the team bus heading to the wrong baseball stadium and training sessions being canceled due to stadium problems. Even during the award ceremony held after winning the gold medal, there was an incident where the South Korean flag was not properly unfurled.
Regarding this, Lee Ki-hyuk said, "If that was intentional on Japan's part, I think that is not good. An award ceremony is a place where everyone should be celebrated, and I am dissatisfied that they didn't even properly unfurl the South Korean flag for us after we worked hard and achieved results."