Who is Ha Hyun-seung and why did the Kiwoom Heroes sign him for a record bonus?

Ha Hyun-seung is an 18-year-old two-way prospect who was selected first overall after producing outstanding results as both a pitcher and hitter at Busan High School. Kiwoom identified his talent and potential for further growth as reasons for the record bonus.

What were Ha Hyun-seung’s pitching and hitting statistics before joining the Kiwoom Heroes?

Ha went 4-0 with a 0.39 ERA in 42 2/3 innings across 15 outings, striking out 77 and walking 11. He also hit.383/.495/.593 in 24 games, with three home runs and 21 RBIs.

Why did Ha Hyun-seung choose the KBO over opportunities with MLB clubs?

Ha chose to start his professional career at home despite drawing interest from MLB clubs. The Kiwoom Heroes said they considered his decision to remain in Korea when evaluating his signing bonus, and Ha said he had wanted to play for the team.

Top KBO draft pick receives largest rookie signing bonus

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Summary

Ha Hyun-seung received a record 1.6 billion won signing bonus from the Kiwoom Heroes in Seoul Wednesday. The 18-year-old two-way prospect was selected first overall in last month’s KBO draft after excelling as both a pitcher and hitter for Busan High School. Ha chose to begin his professional career in Korea despite interest from Major League Baseball clubs.

Key Facts

The bonus surpassed the previous KBO rookie record of 1 billion won awarded to former Kia Tigers pitcher Han Ki-joo in 2006.
Ha posted a 4-0 record and 0.39 ERA over 42 2/3 innings in 15 outings this year, striking out 77 and walking 11.
He batted.383/.495/.593 in 24 games for Busan High School, recording three home runs and 21 RBIs.
At the U18 Asian Baseball Championship, Ha went 3-0 without allowing a run in 15 2/3 innings and struck out 25 batters.
Ha pitched seven shutout innings with one hit allowed in Korea’s 2-0 championship-final win over Japan.

By Yonhap

Published Oct 7, 2026 5:37 pm KST

Ha Hyun-seung of Kiwoom Heroes signs his contract, Wednesday. Courtesy of Kiwoom Heroes

The top selection at this year's Korean baseball draft received the largest rookie signing bonus in league history Wednesday.

The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced they gave their two-way prospect Ha Hyun-seung a signing bonus of 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) — easily surpassing the previous record of 1 billion won awarded to former Kia Tigers pitcher Han Ki-joo in 2006.

Ha, 18, went first overall at the annual KBO draft last month. While at Busan High School, Ha excelled both as pitcher and hitter, and when announcing the team's pick at the draft table, Heroes general manager Huh Seung-pil identified Ha as "pitcher and position player."

On the mound this year, Ha went 4-0 with a 0.39 ERA in 42 2/3 innings across 15 outings. He struck out 77 batters and walked only 11. At the plate, Ha batted .383/.495/.593 in 24 games with three home runs and 21 RBIs.

At the U18 Asian Baseball Championship in September, Ha went 3-0 without giving up a run in 15 2/3 innings, while striking out 25 and walking two. He tossed seven shutout innings and gave up just one hit in Korea's 2-0 win over Japan in the championship final. Ha did not bat in that tournament.

Ha drew interest from Major League Baseball (MLB) clubs before the draft but chose to begin his professional career at home.

"We considered his tremendous talent and potential for further growth, and also the fact that he chose to stay home instead of going overseas to start his pro career," the Heroes said.

Ha thanked the Heroes for valuing him so highly.

"I am so happy to put on the uniform of a team I wanted to play for, and with this signing bonus, I finally feel like a part of this organization," Ha said. "The Heroes have produced so many MLB players and still have some great veterans on the team. I am looking forward to learning from them."

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