How it unfolded
Korea entered the final 8–0; Cuba owned three Olympic golds. Lee Seung-yuop's two-run homer off Norge Luis Vera in the first set a lead Korea stretched to 3–2. Starter Ryu Hyun-jin went 8.1 innings and allowed two runs. In the ninth Cuba loaded the bases with one out; Kim Kyung-moon brought in sidearmer Jung Dae-hyun, who induced a grounder from Yulieski Gourriel that Park Jin-man, Ko Young-min and Lee Dae-ho turned into a game-ending double play. The day before, Lee's eighth-inning two-run homer had beaten Japan 6–2 in the semi-final. Korea finished 9–0 for gold — still its most complete international baseball achievement.
Why it still matters
Baseball left the Olympics after this Games until Tokyo 2020, so the final closed an era. In Korea the gold helped restart pro attendance growth — KBO rose from about five million in 2008 to a first-ever ten million in 2024. It also confirmed Korea among the sport's top international powers.