The Korea Professional Baseball Players Association (KPBPA), led by Yang Hyun-jong, expressed strong regret over the abnormal management practices of the Kiwoom Heroes and raised a strong voice of criticism.
The association warned, "The Kiwoom Heroes, who have faced media criticism recently, have been criticized for years due to abnormal operations, which disappoints players and fans and ultimately hinders the overall development of Korean professional baseball; now is the time to put an end to this."
In particular, regarding the recent dismissal of Director General Go Hyung-wook and a series of personnel changes that occurred, it noted, "Distorted appointments for specific individuals and allegations of parachute hiring are coming to light. The suspicion that the management of the club is being carried out in a disorderly manner according to the will of a specific individual is quite suspect."
The association emphasized that Korean professional baseball is enjoying a boom, breaking attendance records daily, but argued, "The actions of the Kiwoom Heroes are far from the correct growth tasks and remain stuck in outdated methods that go against the current trends. If the management of the club continues to operate as a personal asset, it could lead to a decline in the overall level of the league."
Additionally, the association directly criticized Kiwoom's team management practices and infrastructure shortcomings. "The use of a salary cap that falls significantly below the average negatively impacts player morale and team strength. If these poor performance issues continue for a long time, it can only lead to a weakening of the overall competitiveness of professional baseball."
The poor environment of the Goyang Heroes (Futures team) was also brought up. The association stated, "The Goyang Futures team, which is using the national representative baseball training facility, has cramped and outdated locker rooms, players' belongings piled up in the hallways, and even lacks proper educational space, making it difficult to hold annual meetings properly."
Finally, the association strongly urged, "As an organization that represents the rights of domestic professional baseball players and serves as a bridge with fans, we can no longer overlook this situation. The Kiwoom Heroes must humbly accept the criticism that they have fallen into a tool for specific individuals and normalize their management practices now."
[OSEN]