The competition by South Chungcheong Province and North Chungcheong Province to build a "domed stadium with 50,000 seats, the largest in the country," is expanding into a race to secure a professional baseball team. After Ulsan recently became the first local government to launch a civic baseball club and found box office success, the two regions are also moving faster.
It appears the judgment was that professional baseball games, which secure a full annual schedule, are virtually essential to recoup the massive construction expense.
According to North Chungcheong Province on the 16th, Kim Young-hwan, the governor of North Chungcheong Province, met on the 9th with Kim Jae-bak, former manager of the LG Twins, and Jang Jong-hoon, former head coach of the Hanwha Eagles. Earlier in January, he also contacted former manager Kim Eung-yong.
The successive meetings with elders in the baseball community are interpreted as groundwork with an eye toward launching a region-based baseball club. Former manager Kim Eung-yong said, "Launching a second-tier club in North Chungcheong hinges on close cooperation with the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO)," adding, "I will help communicate North Chungcheong's commitment and readiness to the KBO to draw positive cooperation."
South Chungcheong Province is likewise reviewing both launching and attracting a baseball club. An official with South Chungcheong Province said, "To boost utilization of the domed stadium, we are conducting a study that includes both launching a new club and the possibility of a professional team's transfer of home base," adding, "We are keeping all possibilities open and reviewing them comprehensively."
The two adjacent regions announced plans on the same day, Dec. 29 last year, to build 50,000-seat domed stadiums. South Chungcheong is reviewing a site near KTX Cheonan-Asan Station, while North Chungcheong is looking at areas around KTX Osong Station.
A domed stadium is estimated to require around 1 trillion won just in initial investment expense. Because it is difficult to secure stable revenue with only large-scale concerts or events, professional baseball games with a guaranteed annual schedule are cited as the key content.
Amid this, there are projections that these regions will move to attract games by the Hanwha Eagles, which are based in Daejeon. The Daejeon Hanwha Life Insurance Ballpark, which the Hanwha Eagles use as their home stadium, has such strong demand that most home games this season are sold out, but seating is limited to about 17,000. That is similar in size to Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, the country's only domed stadium.
Meanwhile, Ulsan's civic baseball club is drawing attention. "Ulsan Whales," launched by Ulsan, drew 7,299 spectators to its opener against the Lotte Giants at Munsu Baseball Stadium on the 20th of last month, setting the single-game attendance record in the KBO Futures League.
The broadcast also proved box office potential, with an average household rating of 1.10% in the Ulsan area and a peak of 4.03%. Observers say this set a precedent that local governments can operate a baseball club without corporate support.
However, there are also views that the plans to secure a baseball club and build a domed stadium in the two regions could see their momentum change depending on the results of the June 3 local elections. An official with a local government said, "If the local government head changes, it may be difficult to continue existing policies."