*This content was translated by AI.
"I made it a regular seat. It's still burdensome to spend too much at once."
Kim Joo-won (24, NC Dinos), a shortstop of the national team who received an annual salary of 350 million won in the 2026 season, still boarded a long-distance flight to Florida in the U.S. (Economy).
What the club provides is basically economy seats, but high-salary or high-salary players often upgrade their tickets with mileage or at their own expense. It is a considerable amount of money, but there is a perception that it is an inevitable expenditure to ensure that the condition does not interfere with the situation when he has to leave training.
Nevertheless, Kim Joo-won insisted on the economy, saying he is still young. However, he said, "I think we will have to upgrade next year," meaning that he also knows the difficulty of long-distance flights.
But this time it was different. I didn't have to worry about money and even the plane was much more luxurious. This is the preferential treatment that South Korea received by advancing to the quarterfinals of the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC).
The plane carrying the national team is Atlas Air's Boeing 747-400 VIP, a large aircraft with 400 to 500 seats converted to 189 seats. It is an aircraft mainly used when going on an away trip in the Major League, and it is also an aircraft that the Los Angeles Dodgers loaded up when they came to Korea for the MLB Seoul Series. It is an ultra-luxury aircraft that is nicknamed 'hotel flying in the sky'. It is decorated with a small number of first classes and most of the business seats.
Immediately after the victory over Australia, national team captain Lee Jung-hoo said, "I've been on a lot," but added, "I'm going to have fun sharing those things because there are many actions and things I've done on the plane in the Major League team."
Even though it was a long-distance flight, the national team players enjoyed this moment to their heart's content. In a post on KBO Instagram, Moon Bo-kyung revealed his flight ticket and said, "It's Atlas."
All the national team players enjoyed the benefits of chartered flights with bright smiles and enjoyed the moment together by preparing a cake for Noh Kyung-eun, which celebrated its 42nd birthday, singing a congratulatory song.
This charter flight is a benefit provided by the Major League Baseball Secretariat, which oversees the WBC, to the quarterfinals. Many procedures necessary for the procedure are omitted and the price is paid by the MLB Secretariat. Moreover, although there are no direct flights from Tokyo to Miami, the fact that you can travel comfortably by chartered plane will also be of great help in reducing fatigue with the 13-hour time difference.
Moreover, unlike players who play in big leagues such as Lee Jung-hoo (San Francisco) and Kim Hye-sung (LA Dodgers) and frequently ride chartered flights, this is expected to be a special experience for players who usually travel by bus in Korea.
Yoon Seok-min, who was the runner-up at WBC in 2009 and a commentator for TVing this time, turned on his YouTube live broadcast after the end of the match against Australia to communicate with subscribers, and he said, "Now I'm going to ride a chartered plane, and if I get on a plane, I'm in first place from the front to the tail. I'm going to America in one shot on that. There were two buses standing on the runway, so I got off the plane, took the bus to the hotel, took my hand luggage, and when I came out of the shower, someone rang the bell and brought all the player's luggage to the room. When returning to Korea after the game, they pack their bags and leave them in their rooms, and leave for Korea right from the runway. It's a major league system. It's no joke. The national team felt this for the first time in 17 years. "Even when I go to the hotel, about 50 escort motorcycles block all signals, block all roads, and go straight to the ballpark," he explained.
"The players who came up to the main line share a hotel, and when they eat breakfast, they say, 'Huh? It's Manny Machado, huh? It's called 'Ohtani'. As the players feel that, I think it will be upgraded to the next level," he said.
It is not just a luxurious one-time experience given by the comfort of chartered flights, but it is an experience that seniors who have already gone through WBC in 2006 and 2009 have felt, such as why they need to play baseball better and further develop their dream of becoming a major leaguer who is treated like this every day. Yoon Seok-min, who experienced this first, expressed his expectation that his juniors will be able to grow further through this motivation.
Director Ryu Ji-hyun said in an interview with reporters after arriving there, "Before arriving, I saw a picture taken on the plane through the media. He seemed to be enjoying himself. As expected, there is a symbolic meaning that the area where baseball players can be treated the most at the WBC, the biggest competition, is a chartered plane. That's why I think I moved happily. I hope this will naturally be linked to the performance," he said.
Even while arriving at the airport and moving to their accommodation, they were escorted by dozens of psychas. Coach Ryu said, "I didn't check how many units it was, but I think it was about 12 units. He said it would take about 30 minutes, but I think he came in 10 minutes, he said. "I think the organizer also prepared well." It's not common to be treated like this, but if you feel that, you will feel a lot of emotions in your career," he said.
The task is to adjust to the 13-hour time difference. At Miami Stadium, where the quarterfinals will be held, the first round is currently taking place, so the team will train for about an hour at a nearby university on the 12th, then briefly train at the stadium on the 13th, and start at 7:30 a.m. on the 14th.
Players who have had a lot of physical burden are not in a situation where they can train a lot of time. He is expected to fully recover and rest for the remaining time until the quarterfinals and prepare for the next opponent.
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*This content was translated by AI.
