[Green Economy News = Reporter Jo Ara]
South Korea reached the WBC quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years, and attention quickly turned to the necklace worn by team captain Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco Giants) during the game.
The piece appears to be the Van Cleef & Arpels Vintage Alhambra Necklace with 10 motifs. It is listed at ₩15,500,000 (about $10,385) on the brand’s official Korean website.
Although the model is typically marketed to women, it has become something of a good-luck charm among Major League Baseball players. That trend drew notice when Lee Jung-hoo and Kim Hye-seong (Los Angeles Dodgers), both Koreans in MLB, were seen wearing the necklace.
Lee wore the necklace again in South Korea’s final group game against Australia. The win left Korea 2-2 in the group, tied with Taiwan and Australia, but Korea advanced to the quarterfinals as the group’s runner-up after meeting the tournament’s tiebreak condition — a victory by at least five runs while allowing two or fewer — which put them ahead on the runs-allowed tiebreaker.
Fans and social media users joked that Lee’s necklace might have been a lucky charm as the team reached the WBC quarterfinals for the first time in 17 years.
After finishing second in the group behind Japan (3 wins), the national team is headed to the U.S. for the quarterfinals. The squad will fly by charter to Miami, Florida, on the night of the 10th and will face Group D winner the Dominican Republic in a quarterfinal scheduled for 7:30 a.m. KST on the 14th.
