“The safety of the audience is the top priority.”

The collapse of a structure at Changwon NC Park is expected to have a significant impact on the operation of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League. NC Dinos canceled the home game against the LG Twins scheduled for the 30th at Changwon NC Park in consultation with the KBO.

The day before (29th), during the LG-NC game, an external structure on the third floor of Changwon NC Park fell onto the first-floor concession stand, injuring three spectators nearby.

The NC team explained, “One person suffered a severe head injury and is in the intensive care unit after undergoing surgery. Another has been confirmed with a fractured collarbone and is currently receiving treatment. The third individual did not suffer serious injuries and was assessed to have gone to the hospital out of shock from the incident and has since returned home.”

The spectator who underwent head surgery and the one who suffered a collarbone fracture are sisters. They are receiving treatment after being transported to two different hospitals. The CEO noted, “Staff from the team are on site at both hospitals to continuously support the affected families. We will spare no effort in providing all support from the team.”

The NC team stated after the LG game on the 29th, "The game against the LG Twins scheduled for March 30th (Sunday) at Changwon NC Park has been canceled due to facility inspections at Changwon NC Park. We will announce the status of future home games depending on the duration of the safety inspection."

CEO Lee Jin-man apologized for the situation while making an official statement from the press room at Changwon NC Park around 11 a.m. on the 30th. Regarding the home game, he said, “Immediately after the accident, we began communicating with the KBO. We discussed immediate safety measures, and as a result of continued discussions during yesterday's game, we decided to cancel today’s game on the 30th and sought understanding from LG, which also agreed.”

He continued, “Since we do not know how long the safety assessment will take, it could be completed in a day or could take several days. We are unsure at this point, so we will continue to discuss future games based on the situation of the safety assessment with the KBO. The most important thing is the safety of the fans, so we will make every effort to quickly analyze the cause with the relevant agencies and safety assessment companies to prevent recurrence.”

Unfortunately, because it is a weekend, the selection process for the safety inspection company is slow. CEO Lee said, “We are continuously discussing several options. We are considering collecting multiple companies to divide sections and conduct inspections simultaneously to ensure safety and speed. While it is important to proceed quickly, we are also preparing to listen to the opinions of experts to reach a good conclusion.”

Currently, NC has a home game scheduled against SSG on April 1st. SSG needs to move to Changwon on the 31st to prepare for the game.

CEO Lee stated, “We reached a preliminary agreement with the KBO regarding today’s game yesterday, and since we do not know how long the safety assessment will take, we proposed to continue discussions regarding future games. We discussed several options for the three-game series against SSG during the week and have conveyed our opinions to the KBO. I believe the KBO will internally discuss and decide on this matter. I expect a decision to be made soon.”

Additionally, CEO Lee emphasized, “The important thing is that the safety of the fans is the top priority. We consider this the most important issue. While this situation is undoubtedly very serious, we believe it is inappropriate for us to cause damage to the overall operation of the KBO League. We want to maximize our cooperation within the scope of maintaining regular operations. We have proposed a plan to ensure fan safety while operating the league.”

An NC official said on the afternoon of the 30th, "We have prioritized selecting one company. We plan to start the safety inspection on the 31st." A KBO official stated, "We are considering several options for the SSG and NC game. We will decide after observing the safety inspection on the 31st." The possibility of a no-crowd game appears high.

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