Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is visiting the United States, met with the Vice President of MLB (MLB) and discussed ways to strengthen cooperation, including hosting MLB regular season games in Seoul. Mayor Oh proposed to MLB a plan to continue holding regular season games in Seoul and also discussed ways to establish an advisory and cooperation system for the construction of Jamsil Dome Stadium. Mayor Oh met with Vice President of International Business Charlie Hill at the Caesars Palace Hotel in Las Vegas on the 9th (local time) and shared opinions on ways to strengthen the partnership between the city and MLB. This interview was held on the occasion of the ‘2024 MLB World Tour Seoul Series’ held in March this year.
The MLB World Tour, which started in 2022, is an event in which MLB plays regular season games around the world to globalize baseball .This Seoul Series is the opening game of MLB’s regular season, and will be played between the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on March 20th and 21st.In this game, it is expected that we will be able to see Korean major leaguers who are rising in the MLB, including Kim Ha-seong and Ko Woo-seok of the Padres, at the same time In addition, the Dodgers are attracting tremendous attention from Korean and Japanese baseball fans, as they include superstar Shohei Otani, the “dual swordsman,” who signed an astronomical contract of $700 million, the highest in MLB history, and Yu Darvish and other major Japanese players in San Diego.
Forbes, an American business magazine, selected the MLB Opening Series held in Seoul as a ‘New Year’s sports event that must be seen even if you travel. ‘At the same time, he also paid attention to Seoul’s urban charm and tourism capabilities, saying, “There are many things to see and enjoy in Seoul, Asia’s largest city .”This meeting was held to express gratitude to MLB for the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s generous administrative support, including management and maintenance of Gocheok Dome Stadium facilities, traffic control, and safety management, for the successful hosting of the Seoul Series. The city will replace the floodlights and artificial turf at Gocheok Dome Stadium, conduct ground maintenance projects, and renovate various facilities for viewing convenience so that domestic and foreign baseball fans can enjoy and safely watch MLB games held in Korea, and MLB players can also play in the best environment. etc. have been carried out. Mayor Oh expressed confidence, “Compared to domes in the U.S. and Canada, Korea’s Gocheok Dome is small, but the enthusiasm and participation of audiences coming to watch the game will probably exceed expectations.”
He continued, “If (the Seoul Series) starts and events like this continue to be held every year, many people in Korea will come to love baseball and MLB will be able to spread the word,” and “It’s really great that (the Seoul Series) went well.” “I hope it sets a precedent,” he said. Oh also requested the establishment of an advisory cooperation system with MLB, which has the world’s best baseball industry know-how, in relation to the Jamsil Dome Stadium construction plan In addition, he said he hopes to create a win-win situation for both organizations by working together on various projects such as baseball cultural exchange and youth player discovery for the globalization of baseball .Mayor Oh, who visited Canada on a business trip to North America last September, visited Rogers Center, the home stadium of the MLB Toronto Blue Jays, and announced that he would build a dome stadium and other cutting-edge sports and exhibition convention facilities in the Jamsil area Vice President Hill responded, “I hope that the successful hosting of this Seoul Series will be a good opportunity to expand the base of baseball and exchange 스포츠토토존 cultures between MLB and Seoul City.”