Japanese baseball player Shinnosuke Abe will say the Korean word ‘choego,' which means 'the best' during post-game interviews if he is named Most Valuable Player.

The Japanese daily newspaper Sports Hochi reported that the Yomiuri Giants' captain decided to say the Korean word to boost the team’s popularity among South Koreans.

Abe is said to be a close friend of South Korean slugger Lee Seung-yeop. When the South Korean was feeling down, the Japanese teammate wrote him a letter in Korean to cheer him up.

Meanwhile, in response to Abe’s decision, Lee said he would say the word 'saigo,' which means 'best' in Japanese if named a game MVP.