President Lee Myung-bak has praised the national baseball team, who finished second in the World Baseball Classic.

In a congratulatory message to the team on Tuesday, Lee thanked the players for doing their best with great love for their country, saying that the confidence the players and the people won through the tournament has greater value than victory.

The president also called the team's manager, Kim In-sik, to congratulate him on his achievement. Lee told Kim that the people are grateful and proud of him as the players competed against the world's top teams fair and square.

Kim did, however, express regret for Korea's not winning the title.

In the Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, the president said that the players’ patriotism was a driving force of the team’s advance to the WBC final, urging the ministers to try harder like the baseball players to achieve better results.

The South Korean team lost 3-5 to Japan in the finals of the 16-nation tournament that ended Tuesday in Los Angeles.