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Provincial gov't to offer financial aid to improve KBO club's home stadium

Published: 29 Jul. 2025, 15:50

This June 1, 2025, file photo shows a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game between the Hanwha Eagles and the NC Dinos being played at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province. [YONHAP]

South Gyeongsang in the southeastern region of the country announced Tuesday it will provide financial support to improve facilities in and around the home stadium for a local baseball club, among several measures designed to ensure the team will not leave.

At a press briefing, the provincial government said it will spend 10 billion won ($7.2 million) on sprucing up Changwon NC Park in Changwon, home of the KBO club NC Dinos, from 2026 to 2027. The ballpark opened in 2019.

South Gyeongsang will assist the city of Changwon, which owns the stadium, in installing 2,000 additional seats in the outfield stands, expanding the team merchandise shop, constructing a new scoreboard and adding spaces to the existing parking lot.

The province also offered to renovate Masan Baseball Stadium, the home park of the Dinos' minor league affiliate located a stone's throw away from Changwon NC Park.

South Gyeongsang also said it will invite underprivileged families and local civil servants to Dinos games to help increase the club's visibility.

The province also plans to put out local tourism packages that include tickets to Dinos games and vouchers for local restaurants and hotels.

South Gyeongsang also pledged to make Changwon NC Park more accessible for fans traveling from other cities by expanding train services.

The announcement comes in light of the Dinos' threat to leave Changwon if their demands for improvements in fan experience and playing conditions aren't met.

The Dinos and Changwon have been at loggerheads since a tragic in-stadium incident at Changwon NC Park claimed the life of a fan during a KBO game on March 29.

Changwon faced criticism for its reluctance to take responsibility for the incident despite owning the stadium. Baseball fans later blasted Changwon for dragging its feet when the Dinos were trying to determine a return date following the end of safety inspections.

The Dinos played six alternate home games in Ulsan, northeast of Changwon, before returning to their original home at the end of May.

It was then that Dinos CEO Lee Jin-man declared the club would move if its demands weren't met by Changwon, while also accusing the city of treating the club "unreasonably." Then last week, a club official said the Dinos will "seriously consider" an offer from the city of Seongnam, Gyeonggi, if a good offer comes their way. The Dinos' corporate owner, the game developer NCSOFT, is headquartered in Seongnam, just south of Seoul.

Yonhap