Lotte Giants reset with rookie GM, Korean Series-winning manager

After failed experiments with both unconventional and veteran leadership pairings, the Lotte Giants are taking a different approach, appointing a first-time general manager alongside a championship-winning manager in hopes of turning around the struggling club.

Lotte, which finished No. 7 in the KBO this season, announced Monday that it had appointed former NC Dinos manager Lee Dong-wook as its new manager and Lee Taek-keun, a member of the KBO national team competitiveness-enhancing committee, as general manager.

Lee Dong-wook represents the stability half of the equation. He built his coaching credentials over years as a defensive coach with Lotte, the LG Twins and the NC Dinos, culminating in NC's Korean Series championship and regular-season title in 2020. He has also stayed close to the game and served as a defensive coach for the national baseball team until recently.

Lee Dong-wook signed a three-year contract worth 2 billion won ($1.5 million) — a 500 million won signing bonus and an annual salary of 500 million won.

"I'm happy to return to my former team," he said. "I want to build a team with strong fundamentals by playing smart, data-driven baseball."

However, appointing Lee Taek-keun as general manager is a far more unconventional move.

Lee Taek-keun was known for bringing teammates together during his playing career, but he has never held a coaching position since retiring in 2020. After retirement, he served on the KBO's national team competitiveness-enhancing committee, but he spent much of his time appearing on baseball entertainment shows, including "A Clean Sweep" (2022-26) and "Burn to Win" (2025-).

A general manager plays a central role in overseeing a team's front office and maintaining communication with the manager and players. The position requires both administrative expertise and the ability to navigate organizational politics.

It remains unclear how Lee Taek-keun, who has no experience in a baseball front office or coaching, will lead dozens of front-office employees or work smoothly with a championship-winning manager while keeping the team on course.

His lack of previous ties to Lotte is another unknown. During his playing career, Lee Taek-keun played for several KBO teams, including the LG Twins and the Kiwoom Heroes, but never for Lotte.

This could work to his advantage, as having no entrenched relationships within the organization could give him greater freedom to challenge longstanding practices.

"Although Lee Taek-keun has no coaching experience, he has gained insight into the game through his work as a commentator and a member of the KBO's national team competitiveness-enhancing committee," Lotte Giants CEO Lee Kang-hun said. "We were particularly impressed by the extensive preparation he has put into data analysis.”

“Bringing in someone from outside the organization is also part of our effort to overhaul the front office."

Lotte previously experimented with a pairing of two unconventional appointments in late 2019, when it hired Sung Min-kyu as general manager and Her Mun-hoe as manager.

Both were newcomers to their respective positions, and their relationship was marked by repeated clashes throughout their first year. The partnership ultimately collapsed in less than two years.

In 2024, Lotte took the opposite approach, opting for stability by appointing Park Jun-hyok, a former club front-office executive, as general manager and veteran Kim Tae-hyoung as manager. That combination, however, also failed to deliver on the field.

This time, Lotte has paired a first-time general manager with a veteran manager who has championship experience.

Whether the mix of bold change and stability proves complementary or leads to another round of friction will depend on how well the two work together.

"I will respect the respective expertise of the coaching staff and the front office while making sure everyone works toward the same goal," Lee Taek-keun said.

BY KO BONG-JUN [[email protected]]