Outfielder Kim Seong-wook, 32, a founding member of the NC Dinos in professional baseball, has been traded to the SSG Landers. Since entering the KBO League as the ninth team in 2012, only two founding members of NC remain.

On the 7th, NC executed a trade to send outfielder Kim Seong-wook to SSG, receiving 50 million won in cash along with the fourth-round pick (35th overall) in the 2026 KBO Rookie Draft. SSG, which needed a center fielder to alleviate the burden on Choi Ji-hoon, had been eyeing Kim Seong-wook, and NC, also using Kim Seong-wook, whose position within the team had diminished, as a trade card, secured a rookie draft pick for the future.

NC Director General Lim Seon-nam noted, “This trade was a strategic decision for the long-term strengthening of the team's power. We have gained the opportunity to acquire promising players through rookie draft picks. This trade is focused on enhancing the club's future competitiveness. I would like to express my deep gratitude to Kim Seong-wook for his dedication to the team. I sincerely hope he showcases remarkable performance in his new team.”

On that day, Kim Seong-wook was playing in a Futures League game against Lotte at the Sangdong-gu Stadium in Gimhae. Batting as the third hitter in center field, he recorded no hits in two at-bats with a groundout to third base in the first inning and a flyout to right field in the fourth inning before being replaced by Go Seung-wan before the fourth inning.

The trade was officially announced at 12:30 p.m. on the same day, and Kim Seong-wook learned the news during the game, which led to his replacement. After greeting the NC Futures team at the Sangdong Stadium, he moved to Suwon where the SSG players were on the road. He is likely to be registered for the first team as early as the 8th for the game against KT in Suwon.

Outfielder Kim Seong-wook, a right-handed hitter from Jinheung High School, was drafted by NC in the third round at the 32nd overall pick in 2012. Since NC joined the first team in 2013, he has played 11 seasons in the first team, accumulating a batting average of .237 over 971 games played (2,178 at-bats, 516 hits), with 78 home runs, 293 RBIs, 64 stolen bases, an on-base percentage of .310, a slugging percentage of .398, and an OPS of .708.

In 2016, he had a career-high season with a batting average of .265 over 130 games (306 at-bats, 81 hits), hitting 15 home runs and driving in 51 RBIs, contributing to NC's first entry into the Korean Series. However, he did not grow as expected afterward, and even after returning from military service in 2023, he showed inconsistent hitting.

Last year, he recorded his most home runs and RBIs in a single season with 17 home runs and 60 RBIs in 129 games while batting .240 (358 at-bats, 73 hits), but his OPS was .671, showing disappointing offensive productivity. Despite becoming a 'C-grade' free agent without compensation last winter, market reactions were lukewarm, and he re-signed with NC for a maximum of 300 million won over two years (with a signing bonus of 50 million won, total salary of 200 million won, and total options of 50 million won).

This season, he played only nine games in the first team, maintaining a batting average of .077 (13 at-bats, 1 hit). The center field position saw alternations with players such as Cheon Jae-hwan, Han Seok-hyun, and Park Si-won, reducing Kim Seong-wook's standing. There was also the setback of missing a month after injuring his left shoulder while making a diving catch during a game against Lotte on April 11.

He returned to the first team on the 26th of last month, but recorded no hits in four at-bats across four games. The last game for NC in the first team was against Hanwha on the 30th of last month. During that game, he allowed a 'double in front of the center fielder' after a routine fly ball from Hanwha's Estevan Florial was blocked by the sun, leaving a sense of regret.

The trade came at a time when something was needed. This year, he produced good results in the Futures League with a batting average of .323 over 16 games (31 at-bats, 10 hits), with 1 home run and 5 RBIs, and at Incheon SSG Landers Field, now his new home team, he has a career batting average of .272 over 54 games (125 at-bats, 34 hits), hitting 5 home runs and driving in 11 RBIs with an OPS of .765. In particular, he has a thrilling memory of hitting a decisive two-run home run as a pinch hitter in the eighth inning of the first game of the 2023 semi-playoffs.

With Kim Seong-wook leaving via trade, only two founding members of NC from 2012 remain. The current captain, infielder Park Min-woo, and pitcher Lee Jae-hak are the only ones left. Lee Jae-hak joined Doosan in 2010 and moved over in the second draft after the 2011 season, and is not a one-club man. Park Min-woo is the only player who has been with NC since its founding as a pure one-club man.

Outfielders Kwon Hee-dong and pitcher Lim Jeong-ho, who joined the team in the first year of the first team's entry in 2013, are also not founding members who started in the Futures League in 2012. Other founding members from the 2012 Futures League include pitcher Won Jong-hyun (Kiwoom), Kim Jin-sung (LG), Lee Min-ho (formerly Samsung), infielder Noh Jin-hyuk (Lotte), and outfielder Na Seong-bum (KIA), but they have left NC due to FA contracts or releases. Kim Seong-wook also bid farewell to NC through the trade.

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