Hanwha Eagles Name Ryu Ji-hyun Manager on Three-Year Deal

The Hanwha Eagles have appointed former South Korean national team manager Ryu Ji-hyun as their new manager, entrusting him with rebuilding a club that fell sharply down the Korea Baseball Organization standings this season.

Hanwha said Tuesday that Ryu, 55, signed a three-year contract worth 2 billion won, or about $1.48 million. The club described him as the right leader to turn the Eagles into a sustainable contender, a goal that follows a dramatic swing in fortunes over the past two seasons.

The Eagles reached the Korean Series in 2025 for the first time since 2006, losing to the LG Twins in five games. This year, however, they finished ninth in the 10-team league with 57 wins, 83 losses and four draws. Their decline came after the departures of Cody Ponce and Ryan Weiss, the team’s top two starting pitchers from the previous season.

Ryu replaces Kim Kyung-moon, whose three-year contract expired. Hanwha decided over the weekend not to retain Kim, opening the way for a manager with experience in both the domestic professional league and international competition.

Ryu managed the LG Twins in 2021 and 2022. LG compiled a 159-113-16 regular-season record during those two years, the best mark in the KBO over that span, but the club did not make a deep postseason run. It was eliminated in the first round in 2021 and the second round the following year.

His more recent work with the national team strengthened his credentials. South Korea reached the quarterfinals of the World Baseball Classic in March under Ryu and won the gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in September, extending the country’s winning streak at the continental event to five consecutive titles.

A former All-Star shortstop, Ryu has developed a reputation for emphasizing defense and drawing strong performances from his players. During his national team tenure, he also used advanced statistics and data analysis in scouting and roster selection. Those methods could become central to Hanwha’s effort to develop a more consistent roster and return to postseason contention.

Ryu thanked the Eagles for the opportunity and said he would work to fulfill the club’s vision of building a leading team. He plans to assemble his coaching staff before meeting the players on Friday. His immediate challenge will be to stabilize a team that has recently experienced both a championship-series breakthrough and a rapid reversal.