This season, the KBO League has been hit by unexpected heavy rains that have caused many games to be canceled. With the effects of global warming and global warming, it seems self-evident that the number of canceled games due to climate change, such as unexpected heavy rain, will increase. Baseball is also facing the prospect of having to end the KBO league, as international games have increased significantly. This season, the 2023 Asian Professional Baseball Championship (APBC) will be held at the Tokyo Dome in Japan from November 16-19. The Korean Series must be completed before the APBC. Because of this, the KBO is forcing the regular season to continue with doubleheaders and Monday games, much to the displeasure of the teams.
The new Jamsil Dome Stadium, which will be able to play rain or shine, is a reality that could alleviate some of the current worries. The city of Seoul announced plans to build the Jamsil Dome Stadium on the 18th. A closed dome stadium with a maximum capacity of 30,000 seats will be built at the current Jamsil Stadium location. Hotel accommodations will be built alongside the stadium, so you can watch baseball while lying in bed.
The current Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, which will become history after the 2025 season. The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced plans to build a closed dome stadium with up to 30,000 seats at the current location of Jamsil Stadium on Nov. 18. Photo by The Korea Times
The Jamsil Dome is a long-awaited project that the baseball world has been waiting for, as it will solve the aging of Jamsil Stadium, which was built in 1982 and is now over 40 years old. However, what is missing from this rosy blueprint is an alternative plan for how LG and Doosan, who call Jamsil Stadium home, will handle the KBO League while the dome is being built. It’s a half-hearted plan.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the new Jamsil Dome will take at least five years to build. The scenario is that Jamsil Stadium would be demolished after the 2025 season, construction would begin in 2027, and the stadium would be completed by the end of 2031. LG and Doosan will only be able to play KBO home games at Jamsil Stadium until the 2025 season, and then they will have to move out.
Initially, LG and Doosan’s alternative solution to the lack of a home stadium for the Jamsil Dome was to renovate and use Jamsil Stadium, which is located right next to Jamsil Stadium. Jamsil Stadium is used as a soccer field, track and field, and concert venue, and temporarily converting it to host baseball games would fulfill fans’ perception that baseball games are always held in Jamsil.메이저놀이터
However, due to safety concerns, the Seoul Metropolitan Government refused to allow the temporary conversion of Jamsil Stadium into a baseball stadium. The explanation is that while the Jamsil Dome is in full swing, there are safety concerns if a professional baseball game is held at Jamsilju Stadium and large crowds come and go. The Seoul Metropolitan Government has mentioned using Gocheok Sky Dome, Mokdong Stadium, Katie Wise Park in Suwon and SSG Landers Field in Incheon as temporary home stadiums.
Seoul’s alternatives are highly impractical. Mokdong Stadium, which used to be home to the Nexen Heroes (now Kiwoom Heroes), is not large enough to host professional games. Currently, it is used as an amateur baseball field, so if a professional team moves in, amateur competitions will be disrupted. It is also not realistic to fit both LG and Doosan into the Gocheok Sky Dome, which Kiwoom currently uses as its home stadium.
LG and Doosan, both Seoul-based teams, cannot be relocated to Suwon or Incheon. LG has called Seoul home since the days of its predecessor, MBC Cheongnyong, and Doosan has called Jamsil Stadium home since 1986 after its predecessor, OB, moved there in 1985. Asking these two teams to suddenly move to Suwon or Incheon for six years and then return to Seoul is disrespectful to their fans, who have been tied to Seoul for 40 years. Moreover, Jamsil Stadium is the “symbol of baseball” that Seoulites from all over the country have always come to when they want to watch baseball. The absence of Jamsil Stadium for six years is enough time for such fan perceptions and baseball culture to be eroded.
The announcement of the Jamsil Dome was reportedly made without any communication between LG and Doosan about what they should do during the construction period. The unilateral announcement by the Seoul Metropolitan Government has left LG and Doosan confused.
Seoul’s announcement focused on the shining achievement of building the Jamsil Dome Stadium. There is no consideration for the clubs and players who will have to live in the stadium for six years, nor for the people of Seoul. The Seoul Metropolitan Government should not only present the Jamsil Dome Stadium as a political achievement, but also come up with an alternative plan for the functions of the existing Jamsil Stadium. Even if the Jamsil Dome stadium is built beautifully, what good is it if there are no teams, players, and fans to fill it?