Coach Park Kyung-soo (41), who created the culture of the KT Wiz team and made them a strong team that reached the postseason for five consecutive years, including one championship, left the field receiving the honor of a permanent jersey number retirement.

The professional baseball team KT Wiz held a retirement ceremony for 'eternal captain' Park Kyung-soo on the 1st at Suwon KT Wiz Park before their 9th game of the season against the KIA Tigers in the 2025 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League.

The retirement ceremony for Coach Park Kyung-soo opened with a commemorative photo exhibition and a fan signing event before the game. KT's official social media channel, 'WizTV,' held a commemorative photo exhibition for Coach Park's retirement in front of the home players' entrance at KT Wiz Park. Coach Park selected 19 photos from his baseball life that are most memorable, and WizTV conducted a photo auction via QR code. The total amount raised from the auction will be donated to a youth baseball team in Suwon.

An inaugural ceremony for Coach Park Kyung-soo was held before the game's 5 p.m. start. It began with a video showcasing Coach Park's history during his active playing days. KT Sports President Lee Ho-sik presented him with a travel voucher, KT Wiz Director General Na Do-hyun gave him a figurine, KT Manager Lee Kang-chul provided a retirement commemorative bat, and captain Jang Seong-woo presented a bouquet. Players' Association President Yang Hyun-jong presented Coach Park with a commemorative gold business card on behalf of the KIA Tigers.

In commemoration of his retirement, Coach Park Kyung-soo shared a meaningful time by throwing the first pitch with his family. Park's two daughters, Eun-seo and Eun-ah, each took their positions at the plate and mound, respectively, while Coach Park transformed into a catcher to catch the ball thrown by his youngest daughter Eun-ah.

Coach Park Kyung-soo stepped onto the field for the first time in 425 days after registering as a special entry for retired players, since the game against KIA on April 2, 2024. Manager Lee Kang-chul brought him in during the top of the ninth inning, trailing 3-5, replacing Oh Yun-seok. Coach Park took off his cap and greeted fans at first and third base, receiving loud cheers from both KT and KIA fans. Although he didn’t handle any plays, Coach Park stood strong at second base for KT, showing no sense of alienation despite being a retired player.

After the game concluded, the second part of Coach Park Kyung-soo's retirement ceremony commenced in a darkened stadium. After receiving gifts from his family and his former principal at Seongnam High School, Kang Ho-young (Coach Park's former teacher during middle school), he read a farewell speech he had written himself, touching the hearts of KT fans. A base-running high-five ceremony with the KT team, Seongnam High School baseball club, and KT fans followed, and as Coach Park embraced his family waiting at home plate, colorful fireworks illuminated the sky above Wiz Park.

Coach Park Kyung-soo, who gained fame as a powerful infielder during his time at Seongnam High School, was selected as the first overall pick in the 2003 rookie draft by the LG Twins, making a spectacular entry into professional baseball. Contrary to expectations, however, he spent over 10 years as a relatively average defensive player without fully realizing his potential. During his time with LG, his batting average remained below the mid-20s, and despite his reputation as a slugger, hitting double-digit home runs proved to be a challenge for him.

Coach Park Kyung-soo, who did not flourish with LG, transferred to the youngest franchise KT ahead of the 2015 season for a total of 1.82 billion won over four years, finally unleashing his potential. He signaled the return of the Seongnam High School slugger by hitting 22 home runs in his first year and achieved double-digit home runs in six consecutive years until 2020. After achieving a batting average over .300 (3.13) in his debut year in 2016, he launched a career-high 25 home runs in the 2018 season.

Coach Park Kyung-soo is a living history of the KT team. With his skills and having served as captain for three consecutive years since 2016, he greatly contributed to the establishment of the new team in the top leagues. Thanks to that, he succeeded in securing a second free agent contract at a total of 2.6 billion won ahead of the 2020 season, and in 2021 he achieved the honor of being named the MVP of the Korean Series along with his first championship.

Last year, in his 22nd professional season, Coach Park finished with a batting average of .667 (2 hits in 3 at-bats) and 1 RBI over five games. He did not step onto the first team field after finishing the April 2nd game against the KIA Tigers. However, he continuously accompanied the team, serving not only as a captain but also in the role of a playing coach, leading the magic journey from last place to fifth, achieving an upset in the wild card decision, and competing fiercely in the fifth playoff game.

After concluding his professional career with the 2024 season, Coach Park Kyung-soo's lifetime statistics in the first team include a batting average of .249 (1,396 hits in 5,608 at-bats), 161 home runs, 719 RBIs, and 727 runs scored across 2,043 games. This year, he took on the role of QC coach at KT and began his coaching career.

Next is the Q&A session from Coach Park Kyung-soo's retirement press conference.

-Thoughts on the retirement ceremony

It seems the club prepared a lot for today. I'm very grateful. I believe receiving this retirement ceremony will be a great source of pride for me as a player.

-Preparing my farewell speech

I did prepare it, but I thought a overly long farewell speech wouldn't be good, so I condensed it as much as possible. I researched a lot, and I hope the farewell speech will remain in the fans' memory. There's nothing particularly special, just filled with gratitude.

-As a player, Park Kyung-soo has always received good evaluations

There is nothing better than being viewed positively as a player. I have prioritized the basics. While it may not be flashy, I have tried to give my best in the roles I was assigned. I think that is what people appreciated.

-Manager Lee Kang-chul evaluated that player Park Kyung-soo created the KT culture

It is true that I tried to create a team culture. However, it wasn't something I could do alone. It wouldn't have worked if the club and the manager hadn't had an open mind. The most important thing is the thoughts of the juniors. And the senior players who were there at that time all agreed, and we all worked together, so I believe we have established our culture well. Yoo Han-jun worked hard, and I learned a lot. It's difficult to say I did it myself; it is a good culture we created together.

-Only a handful of players have been captains in professional baseball for over six seasons. What was the hardest time?

It was when I first became captain in 2016. My personal performance was good, but back then, every team wanted to meet KT quickly. Player Kim Min-hyuk was 20 years old at that time. I tried to make sure we didn't carry a mindset of defeat. Ultimately, we finished in last place, and that was the hardest time.

-What is your most cherished memory?

It was when we won, even though I wasn't the captain. I think 2021 was a very happy year in my baseball life. However, my personal performance was not particularly good at that time. Nevertheless, that remains the most memorable period.

-If you could give advice to the juniors of KT

The juniors will surely feel something. Although I hope they perform well in baseball, it is not a sport that succeeds just because one wants to do well. I hope each of them can endure well. The thing I learned from Manager Lee Kang-chul is endurance. By enduring and persisting quietly, I could retire with this ceremony, and I was given the opportunity to hold this retirement press conference. I believe the process is more important than the result. If you endure and persist, the related things will follow. They should not be greedy and focus on doing their tasks well. It would be good to uphold that sense of responsibility.

-Who was the most supportive during your hard times?

The first is my family. I also think of my teachers.

-The life of Coach Park Kyung-soo is

I live very satisfied. I'm just so happy that my body is not in pain. I suffered from poor health in my later years, and I owe a lot to the training staff. I feel that my perspective has changed completely. We have daily meetings among the coaches to discuss how our team can win, and that is also fun. Being at first base as a coach feels different from hitting a single and looking for signs; it increases my focus. There were mistakes, but I am grateful to the manager for graciously letting it go once.

-Will you be able to participate in today's game?

Actually, I took fungo for about two days. However, I have developed a lump on my leg. If given the chance, it wouldn't be bad to greet everyone like this one last time. For now, the priority is for the team to win, so I don't want to go out in a tight spot.

-I heard your juniors from Seongnam High School are coming to see you. Can we say that the dream that Park Kyung-soo had during his Seongnam High days has now come true?

I have certainly fulfilled my dreams. I started playing baseball because I really liked Coach Lee Jong-beom, who is with our team, and Coach Ryu Ji-hyun, who is the national team manager. Watching those two, I nurtured my dreams, and retiring with such a grand ceremony in professional baseball is fulfilling that dream.

-Final remarks to the fans

There is nothing I can say but thank you. Today, on my way to work, I saw fans lined up extremely long, and when I asked the front office staff, I was told this was all for my signing event. When I performed at my peak, I didn't have as many fans as there are now. However, our fan base has grown significantly recently, and I was curious about their thoughts on player Park Kyung-soo. Seeing everyone in line today gave me another sense of emotion. I don't know what kind of coach I will become, but for the sake of KT Wiz, I feel I must accept anything and consistently present a good image and performance to the fans. I am grateful for all the support and love I received as player Park Kyung-soo.

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