The professional baseball team NC Dinos has expressed its position on the reopening of Changwon NC Park.
NC will host a home game against the Hanwha Eagles at Changwon NC Park on the 30th. This marks the first home game in Changwon in 62 days since March 29.
During that game, a tragic accident occurred at Changwon NC Park. An aluminum finishing louver installed on the outer wall above the third base concession stand fell, injuring three spectators below. One of the injured spectators suffered a head injury and was transported to the hospital but sadly passed away two days later.
The day after the fall accident, the game between LG and NC was canceled, and Changwon NC Park was closed for an urgent safety inspection of its facilities. Although the team acted quickly to address the accident, the city of Changwon, which owns the stadium, and the Changwon Facility Corporation, responsible for its operation and management, took a lukewarm approach to responsibility, prolonging the closure of the baseball park.
The NC team, the city of Changwon, and the Changwon Facility Corporation formed a joint task force and removed all 313 louvers that caused the accident, but they could not receive final approval from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport until the 2nd, delaying the reopening indefinitely. Ultimately, NC played six games at Ulsan as an alternative home field, and due to ongoing safety inspections and improvements, the reopening was finally confirmed for the 30th.
Meanwhile, the NC players roamed for 44 games (20 wins, 21 losses, 3 ties, win rate .488). The three games played in Sajik as the home team and six games at the temporary home field in Ulsan were effectively away games.
Ahead of the reopening, NC held an official briefing regarding the team's position and future measures. Lee Jin-man, the representative of the NC team, attended and first expressed the team's position.
Lee noted, "I express my deep condolences to the deceased and their families who lost precious lives due to this accident. I sincerely extend my condolences and apologies to the injured."
He continued, "I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to many who supported our team during the temporary closure. I thank all team officials who understood and cooperated with our team, including the Korea Baseball Organization. In particular, I am deeply grateful to KT and KIA for their generous consideration for our team and fans. I also want to particularly thank the city of Ulsan and the Facility Corporation for their swift and extraordinary support, which has provided not just a temporary stadium but a valuable opportunity for the team to share its future direction."
He added, "I would like to thank all the national Dinos fans who traveled to different baseball parks to support our players. I also express my gratitude to all members of the Dinos who have steadfastly supported the team and demonstrated the spirit of one team during this period. In particular, the strong fighting spirit and mental strength shown by the players have been a great force for the team to endure during difficult times, and I hope that the team can establish itself with organizational structure in the future."
Moreover, Lee stated, "I want to focus on the direction of the team in the future. From a long-term perspective, I want to seriously consider all possibilities regarding the team's situation. This incident has prompted us to reflect on our team, surrounding environment, and the past. While reinforcing the team's capabilities for a stronger organization, I felt that changes are also needed regarding the environment surrounding us," hinting at the possibility of a transfer.
Furthermore, Lee mentioned, "The baseball team needs an environment where it can focus solely on baseball. When such an environment is created, we can achieve better performance, attract more fans to the baseball park, and through this, both the local community and the team can develop simultaneously. In the future, I hope to seek partnerships that can create such an environment based on trust, and with a mindset of a second founding, we aim to reset the direction to become a team that resonates with and is loved by more fans."
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