Korea Loses to Japan in Premier 12 Opener

Korea lost to Japan 5-0 in Hokkaido on Sunday in the opening game of the Premier 12, a tournament organized by the World Baseball Softball Confederation involving 12 top-ranked countries in the sport.

Korea, ranked eighth in the world, was completely dominated by world No. 1 Japan, surrendering 12 hits -- including one home run -- and four walks while managing seven hits.

Korea will fly to Taiwan for the remainder of its preliminary-round games against Dominican Republic on Wednesday, Venezuela on Thursday, Mexico on Saturday and the U.S. on Sunday.