KBO to tone down festive mood in Korean Series out of respect for Itaewon tragedy
Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok, right, goes over safety plans with baseball and city officials at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul, on the eve of Game 1 of the Korean Series between the SSG Landers and the Kiwoom Heroes, Oct. 31. Yonhap
The Korean baseball league announced Monday it will do away with the festive mood during its championship series starting this week, out of respect for the lives lost in the recent tragedy in Seoul.
The Korean Series, the annual championship round in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), is scheduled to begin 6:30 p.m. Tuesday between the SSG Landers and the Kiwoom Heroes. It's typically the biggest celebration of professional baseball in the country each fall
However, in light of a deadly crowd crush Saturday night that has claimed 154 lives in Seoul's entertainment district of Itaewon, the KBO said the Korean Series participants will not have cheerleaders and will not play music through amps for the first four games. Those four games fall during the national mourning period, designated by the government to run through Saturday.
Before the opening game, all the players and fans in the stands will observe a moment of silence to pay tribute to the victims. Both teams and all members of the umpiring crew will wear black ribbons on the side of their caps in mourning.
The KBO also said there will be no ceremonial first pitches, typically thrown by celebrities, in the first four games.
KBO officials were scheduled to meet with government officials and Landers staff in charge of safety at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, some 30 kilometers west of Seoul, on Monday to go over safety plans ahead of Tuesday's opening game. (Yonhap)