How to be a 'yagu paen': All about baseball in Korea

Cheerleaders get the crowd going during a game between Kia Tigers and Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, June 9, 2023. Courtesy of Andrew White

America’s pastime is also South Korea’s most popular sport, with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) being one of the highest-ranking baseball leagues in the world. Originally brought to Seoul by American missionaries and U.S. military in the late 1800s, baseball in Korea gradually took hold and matured before and after World War II.

It wasn’t until 1982, however, that the KBO was born with six franchisees. The Kia Tigers have been the most successful team in those 42 years, winning the KBO Korean Series championship 11 times.

Four of the 10 current teams have received new stadiums over the last 10 years, bringing increased attendance and a surge in popularity to Korean baseball.

Seoul’s hosting Major League Baseball’s 2024 season opener on Wednesday between two National League West clubs, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, brings additional excitement. The two-game Seoul Series will be Korea’s first-ever MLB regular-season ballgames.

Shohei Otani’s debut with Los Angeles after his $700 million signing will overshadow the Seoul Series and the venue, however. All eyes of the baseball world will be watching the power hitter and starting pitcher’s return from successful elbow surgery last September, with his 2024 MLB season focused exclusively on designated hitter duties.

Kim Ha-sung of the San Diego Padres trains at Gocheok Sky Dome in southwestern Seoul, March 19. Kim is back in his home country for the MLB World Tour Seoul Series this week. Yonhap

The Seoul Series also brings Padres Kim Ha-seong, 2023 National League Gold Glove, back to Gocheok Sky Dome, his home stadium with the KBO Kiwoom Heroes from 2016 to 2020.

The Seoul Series is an early kickstart to the 2024 MLB season, with its opening day on March 28 having all 30 current clubs playing ball.

Anticipating the start of the Korean baseball season on Saturday, let's look at key similarities and differences between the KBO League and its U.S. counterpart, MLB, and help bring out the "yagu paen, or baseball fan in Korea, in you.

League and rules

The KBO has 10 teams, all in the same league, unlike the major leagues of the United States, with 30 teams divided into the National League and American League. Each KBO team plays 144 games in the regular season, playing each other 16 times, with weekday games starting at 6:30 p.m., weekends at 2 p.m. Monday is an off-day. MLB is slightly more rigorous at 162 games a season.

The top five teams qualify for the KBO postseason with their win-loss record, starting with a wild-card game between the fifth-place team and the fourth. The winner then plays the next-ranked team in a best-of-five step-ladder playoff system. Eventually, the Playoffs winner gets to face off against the regular season first-place team in a best-of-seven game series, a team which has by now enjoyed several considerable weeks of rest, some would say put at a disadvantage, in the KBO playoff system.

In the 2023 postseason, for example, the LG Twins clinched the best regular season record on Oct. 3 with an 86-56-2 record, thus advancing straight to the Korean Series. When the KT Wiz finally joined them in the Korean Series on Nov. 7, over a month had passed. Riding on a three-game winning streak that propelled them past the third-place NC Dinos, the Wiz took the first game of the Series, arguably due to the Twins' inactivity. The Twins quickly regained their groove, however, winning four straight to claim the Korean Series title.

Rules in the KBO are essentially the same as MLB, including three rules implemented by MLB last year. The pitch clock will make its debut in the KBO 2024 season, following last year's introduction in the Major Leagues. When the bases are empty, pitchers are required to deliver a pitch within 18 seconds, and with runners on, they have 23 seconds to make their move. The time allotted for players to resume play between batters will be 30 seconds, mirroring the standard set by MLB. The KBO will also ban the infield shift, as did MLB last year, requiring two infielders on each side of second base.

And perhaps most radically, the bases are now bigger, enlarged from 15 square inches to 18 square inches. Larger bases mean safer footing for base runners. But it also creates shorter distances for base running. By reducing the gap between bases, there's a likelihood of increased instances of infield hits and stolen base attempts. Expect fewer injuries, but also more bang-bang plays and aggressive offense, sure to appeal to a younger generation of potential fans.

Spectators wait for the start of an exhibition game between the Kia Tigers and the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southeastern Seoul, March 14. Yonhap

Fan frenzy

If there’s one unique aspect to attending a Korean baseball game, it’s the atmosphere. Cheering for your team is wired into the experience, even if they’re down eight runs at the top of the ninth. Attending a KBO ballgame is not so much watching a game as it is being part of the fanatic frenzy. Every batter has their own walk-up song and chant, spurred on by at-bat music and the roving cheer captain. A few weeks into the season, you’ll have them memorized and be singing along.

Thundersticks, or "makdae pungseon" — which refers to "hard hitting balloons" — are actually a Korean creation, first appearing at KBO games in 1994.

Fans holding thundersticks watch a game between NC Dinos and the Kia Tigers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field, July 13, 2017. Yonhap

K-pop-esque cheer squads dance on their reserved stages behind each team's dugout, essentially turning the infield lower decks into an ear-rattling concert. If you prefer watching the game in peace, seats along the outfield line or upper deck may provide a quieter view but don't count on it.

Enthusiasts proudly wear throwback jerseys of their favorite players, painting sections of the stands in a swath of color. There's little animosity, even between rivals, so everyone's able to support their team with pride.

Affordability

Attending Korean baseball games is fairly inexpensive, with a focus on enhancing the fan experience. Most tickets can be had for under 20,000 won — the cheapest are weekday games, and just walking up to the ticket booth is the best way. Bleacher sections are color-coded with ticket prices, making any language barrier not a problem. Look for, or avoid, the stadium's special themed sections, like "cheering zone,"" barbecue zone" and "homerun couple zone."

Five of the 10 KBO teams are based in the Seoul metro area, which ensures fast, efficient subway access right to the stadium to root for your favorite team. Concession stands and convenience stores are plentiful and located right inside the stadium, ensuring you'll pay everyday prices and not get gouged. Beer, either can or draft, matched with fried chicken, commonly known as "chi-maek," are mainstays, along with the common Korean snacks.

Spectators eat food while watching a professional baseball game at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southeastern Seoul. Yonhap

In contrast, catching an MLB game can be prohibitive, with 2023 averages across the 28 MLB stadiums showing that ticket prices to be in the range of $40 to $50.

Moneygeek.com found that attending a baseball game in the U.S., considering budget tickets, parking and concessions, costs on average $140 for a family of four. That's about $7 for a draft beer and over $5 for a hot dog, which can have many fans crying, "Don't take me out to the ball game… Don't buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks."

Players

Each KBO team is allowed three foreigners on their roster, two of them being pitchers. The maximum annual contract value for overseas players is set at $1 million per season. Along with a 2023-25 period salary cap of roughly $8.8 million per team, excluding rookies and foreign players, these steps are taken to ensure a level playing field among the 10 teams.

High-profile stars from the Major Leagues set to start in the KBO 2024 season include Choo Shin-soo, the former American League All-Star slugger for the Texas Rangers in 2018, who played 16 years in MLB. Choo, 41, announced that 2024 will be his final year, retiring from the SSG Landers in Incheon. In 2022, he helped lead the squad to the Korean Series Championships.

Hanwha Eagles starter Ryu Hyun-jin throws the ball in the top of the third inning of the 2024 exhibition game between the Kia Tigers and the Hanwha Eagles at Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon, March 12. Yonhap

Ryu Hyun-jin, 36, is giving Hanwha Eagles fans reason to rejoice, returning to Daejeon after 11 years in Major League Baseball. Ryu spent seven years with the LA Dodgers from 2013 until 2019, when he was the ERA leader and National League All-Star Game starter. The starter's return to the Hanwha Eagles has been sealed with a blockbuster eight-year contract worth 17 billion won ($12.8 million). Redonning the Hanwha orange, as he has long promised, Ryu embarks on this new chapter in his career by rejoining the KBO league, with strong showings on the mound in the Eagles spring season already.

In recent years, other stand-outs from abroad include journeyman Yasiel Puig, a Cuban-born strong-armed outfielder and seven year MLB slugger, most notably with the LA Dodgers. Puig played the 2023 season with the Kiwoom Heroes, batting 21 home runs and 73 RBIs across 547 plate appearances.

Yasiel Puig participates in Kiwoom Heroes' spring training camp in Goheung, South Jeolla Province, in 2022. Yonhap

Josh Lindblom pitched two stints in the KBO, winning MVP in 2019 with the Doosan Bears, then returning for one season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020.

Pitcher Dustin Nippert played eight seasons in the Korean League with the Doosan Bears and KT Wiz, winning KBO MVP in 2016.

Eric Thames played in Korea from 2014 to 2016 for the NC Dinos, winning KBO Most Valuable Player in 2015 with a batting average of .380 and 47 home runs. He returned to the Majors for the 2017-20 seasons, playing for the Milwaukee Brewers and Washington Nationals.

There have been two foreign-born managers to hold the reign of KBO teams. Matt Williams, former Giants, Indians and Diamondback third baseman and Washington Nationals manager, managed the Kia Tigers for the 2021 and 2022 seasons. Jerry Royster was the first non-Korean to manage a KBO team, leading the Lotte Giants to the playoffs in all three of the 2008-2010 seasons.

With 300-plus international players in its history, the KBO counts over 200 Americans, at least 80 Dominicans and over 20 Venezuelans among its ranks.

Notable current MLB players from South Korea include Kim Ha-seong, 28, shortstop for the San Diego Padres and 2023 Gold Glove recipient, the first Korean to receive the honor. Kim played the 2014-20 seasons with the Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes before being drafted by the Padres to start the 2021 season.

Newly signed Korean outfielder Lee Jung-hoo, 25, is set to start with the San Francisco Giants after seven seasons with the Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes. Last December's $113 million, six-year MLB contract was the largest for a South Korean leaving the KBO.

Eric Peddy pitches for NC Dinos against Kiwoom Heroes in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, Sept. 5, 2023. Courtesy of NC Dinos

Pitcher Erick Fedde returns to MLB in 2024 with the Chicago White Sox after an extraordinary season with the NC Dinos, where he registered a 20-6 record, 2.00 ERA with 209 strikeouts in 30 starts. Fedde was the 2023 KBO League Most Valuable Player while becoming the first foreign-born pitcher to post over 20 wins and 200 strikeouts in a season. Joining the ranks of Eric Thames (2015) and Josh Lindblom (2019), Fedde becomes the latest former KBO MVP to transition back to Major League Baseball following a fruitful spell in Korea.

Whether you're a die-hard baseball enthusiast or a newcomer to the game, I invite you to join in the fan-focused thrill of the KBO experience firsthand and become a Korean' yagu paen.'

Andrew White is an American, and has been a college professor in Seoul's Nowon District for 25 years. He received honorary Seoul citizenship in 2018 for his interest in and promotion of Korean traditional culture.