KBO’s first secretary-general dies at 94

Lee Yong-il, former acting commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization, who played a leading role in the launch of professional baseball in Korea, died Sunday at age 94. Yonhap

Lee Yong-il, the first secretary-general of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and a key figure in the launch of professional baseball in the country, has died. He was 94.

Lee died Sunday of chronic illness, the KBO said.

Born in 1931, Lee played baseball at Kyungdong High School and Seoul National University. While serving as president of Kyungseong Rubber, a footwear company founded by his father in Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, he established and sponsored the Gunsan Commercial High School team, earning him the nickname “father of the come-from-behind masters,” a reference to the school’s famed baseball program.

He later moved to Seoul and served as an executive at the Korea Baseball Association before becoming the inaugural secretary-general of the KBO in 1981. He played a central role in the launch of Korea’s professional league in 1982. In 2011, he briefly served as acting KBO commissioner.

Lee’s funeral will be the first official one hosted by the KBO since its founding.