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| A view from inside and outside (inset) of the Gocheok Dome currently under construction / Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul |
Nexen Heroes, city gov't lock horns over nation's first domes stadium
By Nam Hyun-woo
It is unclear whether Korea's first domed stadium under construction in southwestern Seoul will become a new cathedral for baseball fans here or a white elephant.
The stadium, dubbed the "Gocheok Dome" for the time being, is a six-story facility (two floors underground and four floors above) on a 47,800-square-meter site in Gocheok-dong, Guro, which will accommodate more than 18,000 spectators.
According to Hyundai Development Company, construction will be completed in August, with the exterior work finished in two to three months.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) has poured some 200 billion won into the construction of the stadium, which will replace the now-demolished Dongdaemun Stadium.
Since it broke ground in 2008, expectations were high that Korea would have a domed stadium like the Tokyo Dome in Japan. At the same time, however, the question of who will use the massive facility remains unanswered.
Following several changes in design, the cost of construction soared and the local government abandoned its initial plan to use it for amateur baseball and approached a professional club.
The Nexen Heroes, who are using the Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul, expressed interest but the other Seoul-based Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) clubs -- the LG Twins and Doosan Bears which use Jamsil Stadium as their home -- showed no interest.
According to a government official, talks about the issue are in progress. The two sides tacitly agreed on the Heroes' use of the stadium, but it appears that Seoul is forcing the club to borrow the stadium on its terms.
"We hope to bring in the Nexen Heroes to the stadium after negotiations," said the Seoul official.
"The two sides are still negotiating because the Heroes want more favorable terms, while the local government wants to use the stadium for public purposes such as holding concerts because it was built with taxpayers' money," he said.
In September, Seoul City inked a deal with the Korea Baseball Association, which sanctions amateur and international baseball, to only use Mokdong Stadium for amateur baseball from 2016, despite the ongoing negotiations with the Heroes. The SMG has been criticized by baseball insiders for making a "unilateral decision" because the Heroes were excluded from the talks.
The deal came at a critical juncture, since it left the Heroes with no option but to leave Mokdong Stadium.
Unlike the nine other KBO clubs, the Heroes are not owned by a company. They use "Nexen" because Nexen Tire sponsors the club.
For the Heroes, who have to manage the club by themselves, profits from advertisements in the stadium are a critical source of revenue.
The SMG official said the two sides will finish negotiations on that and other issues within the first half of the year.
Amid this backdrop, the KBO on Jan. 23 said the Heroes will be allowed to move to another city, which raises concerns that it might leave the expensive stadium to be used only for amateur baseball games and some cultural performances.
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