Kim Hye-sung (24-Keum Heroes), the captain of South Korea's baseball team competing in the Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), has made a bold statement.

The APBC team, led by coach Ryu Jung-il, departed for Japan on Thursday morning through Gimpo Airport.

The APBC, now in its second year, is an exchange tournament for players aged 24 or younger or in their third year of professional competition from four Asian countries - Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Australia.

The South Korean baseball team, which is competing in the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC), leaves the country through Gimpo International Airport in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Thursday morning. 

The second edition of the tournament was scheduled to be held in 2021 after the inaugural edition in 2017, but was postponed due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and will be held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan for the first time in six years.

Kim Hye-sung, who wore the captain's armband for the baseball team at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games and helped them win gold, has been named captain of the APBC team.

"It's a special feeling to go to another international tournament after the Asian Games," she said at the airport before her departure. I will do my best this time as well," she said.

Kim Hye-sung celebrates after hitting Sasagawa with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning during the baseball super round match between South Korea and Japan at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Shaoxing Baseball Sports and Cultural Center near Hangzhou, China, on Friday. South Korea defeated Japan 2-0 on the day. 

"The atmosphere was lively and good because of the younger age group, and we need to carry this momentum into the tournament and do well," she said of the training camp.

"We had a longer training camp than in Hangzhou, so we had plenty of time to prepare for team play. The weather was cold, but we trained well. We are grateful for the support we received before the tournament, and we will do our best to repay it."

Kim Hye-sung, who played as a backup for the Korean National Team at the World Baseball Classic (WBC) earlier this year, will be playing at Tokyo Dome as a starter in the APBC.

"It's my first time playing as a starter in the Tokyo Dome, and I want to do well," said Kim. The Tokyo Dome is a big, nice ballpark, and playing in front of a full house of fans will be noisy and nice. I'm sure I'll be more focused. I gained confidence (with the gold medal) in Hangzhou, but I will not be complacent and will do well," she promised. 슬롯