Home > Sports > Baseball

Kiwoom Heroes dismiss manager Hong Won-ki after 17 years with franchise

Published: 15 Jul. 2025, 11:10 Updated: 15 Jul. 2025, 18:25

The Kiwoom Heroes announced the dismissal of its manager Hong Won-ki, pictured, along with general manager Koh Hyung-wook and head coach Kim Chang-hyun, in a statement released on July 14. [YONHAP]

The Kiwoom Heroes, once a force in Korean professional baseball, are now unraveling at speed.

The struggling club fired manager Hong Won-ki, 52, ending his 17-year run with the franchise and signaling a desperate attempt at reinvention.

The Heroes announced the dismissal of Hong, along with general manager Koh Hyung-wook and head coach Kim Chang-hyun, in a statement released Monday. Beginning Thursday, when Kiwoom faces the Samsung Lions in the first game of the KBO season’s second half, second-tier KBO Futures League manager Seol Jong-jin will take over as interim manager. A new permanent skipper will be selected following the arrival of new general manager Heo Seung-pil, the club said.

Hong, a club institution, has been with the Heroes since 2009, starting as the first-base coach, then rising through the ranks to defensive coach, head coach and, in 2021, manager. In just his second year at the helm, he led Kiwoom to the Korean Series, finishing as runners-up in 2022 — a feat that earned him a three-year contract extension ahead of the 2023 season.

But the post-extension years spiraled. Entering 2023 with no significant roster upgrades, Kiwoom soon lost star outfielder Lee Jung-hoo and ace pitcher An Woo-jin to injury. This season, the team’s losses deepened: Lee departed for Major League Baseball — at the San Francisco Giants — and An began his mandatory military service. The club traded away key arms, like starter Choi Won-tae to the LG Twins and reliever Cho Sang-woo to the Kia Tigers, launching a full-scale rebuild.

With infielder Kim Hye-sung being sent to the Los Angeles Dodgers this year, Kiwoom’s roster was stripped bare. Predictably, they crashed to the KBO cellar, with local commentators calling them a “points vending machine.”

In a last-ditch move, the front office gambled on two foreign hitters to spark the lineup — and failed spectacularly. Left with no better options, Kiwoom decided to part ways with Hong, who departs with a career record of 293 wins, 15 draws and 359 losses over 667 games, with a .439 winning percentage.

Hong’s midseason exit marks the second managerial shake-up in the KBO this year, following the resignation of Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yuop last month. While the Heroes hope the shake-up will jolt the team out of its slump, the road ahead looks grim — and the solutions, elusive.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY BAE YOUNG-EUN [[email protected]]