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Court rules Lotte Giants trainer entitled to $90,000 in severance pay

Published: 25 Aug. 2025, 17:35 Updated: 25 Aug. 2025, 17:45

Baseball fans are seen cheering during a Lotte Giants game at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan. [LOTTE GIANTS]

BUSAN — A court has ruled that a rehabilitation trainer for the Lotte Giants was an employee of the baseball team and is entitled to severance pay.

The Busan District Court ordered the Giants to pay the trainer 125.5 million won ($90,570), plus interest. The trainer worked for the club from 2004 to 2021, handling player treatment, overseeing rehabilitation and designing weight training programs.

The court said his hours and duties fell under the club’s direction. He typically worked 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and on game days until around 11 p.m. Coaches gave him daily tasks. In the off-season, he researched training methods, accompanied players to hospitals and filed reports. His assignments across the club’s three squads were determined by team officials.

Although employed on one-year contracts, his salary rose at a fixed rate. The court found he functioned as a salaried worker, not an independent contractor.

“The plaintiff took a designated break each December and continued to provide services under the club’s direction,” the ruling said, citing continuity in the employment relationship.

The club argued that the trainer was an independent contractor hired for rehabilitation services under a consignment agreement, and that such specialized services were beyond the directive scope of the team’s office staff.

However, the court disagreed.

Lotte Giants players are seen during a game against LG Twins at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Aug. 21. [YONHAP]

The court ordered the club to pay the trainer severance and a job position allowance, totaling 125.5 million won.

The club responded, “We respect the court’s decision,” but added that it would decide whether to appeal after discussions with the KBO and other teams.

“Following the Supreme Court precedent last year recognizing trainers as workers, it is time to seriously consider employing trainers as workers rather than independent contractors,” the club said.

In December last year, the Supreme Court upheld a lower-court ruling in favor of a another trainer, who sued the Lotte Giants for severance pay. The appeals court had ordered the team to pay this trainer 19.8 million won.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE EUN-JI [[email protected]]