'W' and Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-kyeong attended Choi Jee-man's signing ceremony! "Signing a world-class player is too proud" Mayor Kim Du-kyeong expresses great satisfaction

*This content was translated by AI.

Ulsan Whales, the first citizen-owned team in KBO League history competing in the Futures League, has welcomed Choi Jee-man (35), a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player who recorded 67 career home runs over eight MLB seasons. At Choi Jee-man's signing ceremony held on the 27th, Ulsan Mayor Kim Du-kyeong (68) attended in person, delivered a welcoming message, and expressed strong expectations.

The Ulsan Whales organization held Choi Jee-man's signing ceremony at 4 p.m. on the 27th at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium. After sending continuous expressions of interest since January, the team succeeded in winning Choi Jee-man's heart. Choi Jee-man, despite interest from Japanese and Taiwanese teams, decided to join Ulsan Whales to conclude his playing career in his home country, South Korea. Although he is scheduled to participate in the 2027 Rookie Draft in September, he decided to take this opportunity to prove his health as well.

Mayor Kim Du-kyeong of Ulsan attended Choi Jee-man's signing ceremony that day. It is reported that the recruitment effort involved not only the team but also the Ulsan Sports Council and the mayor personally. In particular, while Ulsan had professional soccer and basketball teams, it had no baseball team until now, so there has been considerable interest in Ulsan Whales.

At the ceremony, Mayor Kim Du-kyeong recalled the early days of Ulsan Whales in his congratulatory speech regarding Choi Jee-man's signing. Mayor Kim stated, "Ulsan Whales started with the symbolic significance of being the first citizen-owned team in the KBO," and added, "We have been working to expand the base of baseball in Ulsan, a sports mecca, and despite being in the first year of establishment, we achieved better-than-expected results and landed smoothly, which was very encouraging for me as mayor." As of the 27th, ahead of the day's game, Ulsan Whales is ranked second in the Futures League Southern Division. With only a 0.5-game difference from the first-place Lotte Giants, the team is competing for the top spot.

In particular, regarding Choi Jee-man's signing, Mayor Kim said, "In fact, there were mentions of his potential joining since the early days of the team, but I thought it was just 'rumors,'" smiling. He continued, "I was hesitant to ask the mayor directly (about the team), so I quietly watched, but upon hearing the actual news of the signing, I felt that Ulsan Whales' status had significantly risen."

Mayor Kim expressed deep gratitude and pride on behalf of the citizens for Choi Jee-man joining Ulsan Whales. He emphasized, "On behalf of the citizens, I sincerely feel proud that we have signed a world-class player like Choi Jee-man to our team."

He further added, "When the citizen-owned team was established, not everyone was 100% in favor; there were concerns. However, with good results and the arrival of a star player like Choi Jee-man, many citizens are now applauding." He encouraged, "I believe that player Choi Jee-man will settle down here under the names of Ulsan and Whales and make significant contributions. As mayor, I have high expectations."

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*This content was translated by AI.