The appearance of not wanting to take responsibility was still evident. However, it seemed that there was also fear of becoming a scapegoat. The incident with the NC Dinos showed that the home ground of Changwon was infinitely inadequate to be the home of a professional baseball team.

There is a mood forming that the issues surrounding the safety inspection and reopening of Changwon NC Park, which have continued for more than a month due to the fatal accident caused by the fall of the exterior finishing louver on March 29, are coming to a close.

On the 9th, the city of Changwon held an emergency press conference and said, "Changwon Facilities Corporation and NC Dinos conducted an emergency safety inspection of the baseball park from the 1st to the 22nd after the accident and received a B grade from a professional agency stating that there were no functional issues." It also noted, "The city of Changwon formed a joint task force with the Facilities Corporation and NC team to completely remove the louvers installed in the baseball stadium and the steel parking lot, including the louver where the accident occurred, totaling 309 louvers."

"Additionally, all measures regarding the additional investigation of the structural steel members beneath the viewing area and the roof, which were requested for reinforcement by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, have been completed," it explained.

"Furthermore, we intend to focus our capabilities on responding to a prompt reopening," it added. "We plan to address the additional reinforcement items from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's second emergency safety inspection over this weekend, and since all maintenance for reopening is expected to be completed by next week, we will engage in immediate discussions for reopening to prevent further damage to citizens and the NC players."

In any case, the normalization of Changwon NC Park is good news. However, during the reopening process, the stances of the city of Changwon and the Changwon Facilities Corporation will inevitably raise questions about their qualifications as the home ground of a professional baseball team.

Following the incident, the Changwon Facilities Corporation prioritized identifying responsibility rather than offering condolences and mourning for the victims. After the accident, the NC team sent an official document to the corporation requesting that it conduct its own emergency safety inspection and provide the results. Most baseball parks are owned by local governments but are managed and operated by the teams. However, the owners displayed a tendency to shift responsibility.

Eventually, even the highest authority, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, intervened. It requested the Changwon Facilities Corporation to conduct an emergency safety inspection, leading to simultaneous inspections by the corporation and the team. Late in the process, the city of Changwon, the corporation, and the NC Dinos formed a joint task force. They prepared to ensure no issues arose for the reopening of the stadium through cross-checks, and all the exterior finishing louvers inside the stadium, which were the cause of the accident, were removed.

However, the emergency safety inspection conducted by the corporation was inadequate. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport reviewed the corporation's report and requested additional reinforcement measures. Ultimately, on the 2nd, at a meeting inspecting the implementation of safety measures attended by the Ministry, the reopening was indefinitely postponed due to the judgment that fundamental safety measures were necessary.

For the NC team, which had continued an uncertain away-life, the last hope of returning home disappeared. Ultimately, the NC team quickly started searching for an alternative stadium, and after cooperation with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the city of Ulsan, it officially announced on the 8th that it would use Ulsan Munsoo Stadium as its temporary home until the reopening of NC Park.

However, just a day later, the city of Changwon intervened again. It was as if a fire had been lit at their feet. As local businesses near Changwon NC Park faced grave consequences, public backlash intensified, prompting the city to hasten the reopening process. While it is indeed crucial to ensure safety measures following a fatal accident, the situation showed clearly that no one seemed willing to take responsibility in the absence of the mayor of Changwon or the chairman of the corporation. In this process, the NC baseball team was pushed to the background and only suffered damage.

Since its establishment, the city of Changwon had not left the NC Dinos, the baseball team of its home ground, alone. An agreement was made in 2011 for its founding, and although the city promised to construct a new baseball stadium first, the city council did not let this go ahead. There were also controversies regarding favoritism in the process of selecting construction costs and sites. Furthermore, there were claims that NCSOFT’s headquarters should be moved to Changwon.

In the subsequent site selection process for the current Changwon NC Park, controversies arose due to ignorance and lack of understanding about the team. At that time, since the unified Changwon city, which had recently merged Changwon, Masan, and Jinhae, was facing pressures about regional balance in the location of the city office, provincial office, and baseball stadium, large claims grew. Ultimately, the feasibility study results for site selection were overturned, and the site of the Jinhae Army College was designated as the new baseball stadium site by the city. The city committed to complete the new stadium by 2016, and NC deposited 10 billion won as a down payment, but all these promises were ignored. Public sentiment was continuously disregarded.

Eventually, with strong measures such as the transfer of the home ground, the city of Changwon was pressured, and NC also showed its intention not to use the newly built stadium in Jinhae. Ultimately, when it became election season, the focus shifted back to remaining in Masan.

Although the Changwon NC Park was constructed after numerous ups and downs, the city of Changwon again imposed extortion regarding the usage fees. The team was busy being pulled around as a subordinate. Even during the site selection controversy, NC had to suffer in silence, facing an additional demand of 20 billion won from the city on top of the 10 billion won already paid as a deposit. While questioning community contributions, the worst behaviors were displayed. Ultimately, NC surrendered to the city's demands and reached an agreement to pay 33 billion won over 25 years.

Over the more than 10 years since its establishment, NC has worked hard to settle in Changwon, but the city did not treat the team equally. It is a situation where it is difficult to settle as a franchise.

Finally, once Changwon decided to hold substitute home games in Ulsan, a city that had previously been pointed out as a potential relocation site whenever past controversies erupted, it only then began to take action. Changwon has a 0-point qualification as the home ground of a professional baseball team.

On the morning of the 10th, NC announced its official stance regarding Changwon's announcement for reopening preparations. The team stated, "First of all, we thank Changwon for its presentation of countermeasures. However, the team plans to conduct games as scheduled starting May 16 at Ulsan Munsoo Baseball Stadium," but also mentioned, "The schedule announced by Changwon is not finalized but is a goal date for maintenance completion, and the team will confirm the completion status through actual stadium inspections and will decide future plans after internal discussions."

"NC is concerned that a delay in Changwon's maintenance schedule may cause confusion and greater disappointment to our fans, and we also value our obligations to the city of Ulsan, which has provided us with temporary home games," it emphasized, adding, "The team will carefully decide future plans in consultation with KBO and the city of Ulsan after thoroughly verifying the actual maintenance situation."

"We ask for our fans' understanding and continued support, and we will continuously cooperate with the city of Changwon and the Changwon Facilities Corporation for the safe operation of Changwon NC Park," it added.

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