*This content was translated by AI.
Hideki Kuriyama (65), CBO (Chief Baseball Officer) of Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan's Professional Baseball League (NPB), along with Kentaro Narita, Representative Director of Pacific League Marketing (PLM), and other officials visited the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on the 20th to discuss multifaceted exchange plans for the development of baseball in both countries.
Hideki Kuriyama CBO is a prominent figure in Japanese baseball who led the Japanese national team to victory in the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC) and was recently inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame. Kentaro Narita, Representative Director of PLM, who visited alongside him, oversees official platforms and media marketing for the Pacific League.
On this day, CBO Kuriyama and Na Ri-ta (CEO) held a meeting with KBO President Heo Goo-yeon, exchanging in-depth opinions on key issues including player development systems to strengthen international competitiveness, changes in the baseball community due to the introduction of new systems such as the Automatic Ball-Strike System (ABS), factors contributing to expanding the young fan base aged 20–30, and strategies for broadening the youth and baseball population amid declining birthrates.
Following this, CBO Kuriyama held separate meetings with Ryu Ji-hyun, manager of the Korean national team, and KBO Jeon Ryeok-gang-hwa (Chairman), continuing practical discussions on strengthening the national team's capabilities and processes for nurturing promising players.
Exchanges at the operational level also proceeded actively. Nippon Ham club officials confirmed the ABS operation system of the KBO League through a meeting with the KBO Umpire Committee and visited the video review center. PLM officials shared insights with KBO staff on recent factors driving increased attendance in the KBO League and SNS operation strategies targeting younger audiences.
The KBO plans to continue strengthening Korea-Japan friendship and enhancing the international standing of Korean baseball through sustained cooperation and information exchange with Japanese baseball entities such as Nippon Ham Fighters and PLM in the future.
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*This content was translated by AI.
