Seoul kicks Doosan-LG out…’New stadium announcement’ good, but where’s the ‘process’?

Doosan and LG have suddenly lost their home field. Their home stadiums will be gone for a long time. They will have to find an alternative. Seoul’s response is also disappointing.

On the 18th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced a plan to build the Jamsil Dome Stadium (tentative name). The current Jamsil Stadium will be demolished and a new dome ballpark will be built. Mayor Oh Se-hoon’s plan is to make it possible to enjoy baseball in connection with hotels.

So far, so good. Jamsil Stadium is over 40 years old. It is inconvenient in many ways. It has been remodeled, but there are limits. There is nothing wrong with building a new, modern dome stadium. Since we are constantly struggling with rain, the utilization of the dome is also high.

The question is ‘how long’. After the 2025 season, Jamsil Stadium will be dismantled. After that, construction will begin sequentially, with a goal of completion by the end of 2031.

This means that Doosan and LG need to find a temporary home for six years, from 2026 to 2031. It’s a daunting task.

Initially, the idea was to remodel Jamsil Stadium. There was some discussion. In fact, it was reported that the main stadium was being renovated. However, the Seoul Metropolitan Government put the brakes on again. Safety concerns are the reason.

With the current structure, the shortest way to get to the main stadium is through Jamsil Stadium. Naturally, it’s also where many fans currently travel.

However, if Jamsil Stadium were to be built, the surrounding area would also be closed. The route to the main stadium would also be affected.

This could result in a large number of people in one place. After the Itaewon incident, government agencies and local governments are wary of crowds. This is an extension of that.

That’s understandable. But Doosan, LG, and the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) are at a loss. LG CEO Cha Myung-seok said, “It is true that it is difficult to say that the main stadium cannot be used due to safety issues. In any case, fans shouldn’t be harmed. We need to have an in-depth discussion.”

A Doosan official also said, “We plan to hold a meeting with the Seoul Metropolitan Government, the KBO, and LG. The announcement came out of the blue. We need to meet and talk right now, even this week.”

A KBO official said, “The fans come first. The announcement came out today, and we are not in a position to come up with a solution right away. Nothing is set in stone right now. We need to discuss it.”

For now, it’s just talk. In the end, Seoul’s actions are regrettable. It announced that it would build a dome stadium in the place of Jamsil Stadium, but it seems that there was no prior coordination with the KBO, LG, and Doosan. It was announced without the direct parties’ knowledge.

At the same time, there was talk about the difficulty of Jamsil Stadium. ‘We’ll build you a new stadium, but until then, take care of yourself,’ it reads. There is no delicacy in the work of a large local government.

The existing dynamic was that Seoul was lording it over KBO, LG, and Dusan. This is partly unavoidable because the current legal structure does not allow private companies to own baseball stadiums, but it is also true that there were people who said, “It’s too much,” and then this happened again. 안전놀이터

In the end, the best option is to use Jamsilju Stadium for six years. There are other stadiums in Gochuk and Mokdong, but they are not easy to use in reality.

The general consensus is that Mokdong is not suitable for a professional team. There is also local opposition. Ama tournaments are also actively held. Even if you use a relative, neither team can enter. It’s even weirder for a Seoul team to use a stadium outside of Seoul. It’s even been six years.

It would have been less of a shock if we had been consulted beforehand. Without that, the baseball world will have to live with it.

The entire Jamsil Sports Complex does not belong to the city of Seoul. It belongs to the people, to the people of Seoul. I am in favor of creating a better environment, but this is not the way to go. Furthermore, alternatives should be considered.