*This content was translated by AI.
After stopping just short of the final threshold last year, professional baseball team KT Wiz is once again challenging for its first-ever 10 thousand won fans. This time, the possibility looks quite high.
KT announced on the 17th that it will hold a '10 thousand won fan achievement prayer event' targeting 10 home games to be held at Suwon KT Wiz Park from the 18th through October 7.
KT has drawn a cumulative total of 848,673 fans across 61 home games this season. According to the club, the fan increase rate compared to last season reached 31%. The number of fans remaining to reach 10 thousand won is exactly 151,327. To achieve the record within the 10th games during which the event runs, an average of approximately 15,133 spectators must attend each game. Considering that Suwon KT Wiz Park has a seating capacity of 18,700, filling about 81% of seats per game will lead to reaching the 1st million milestone.
Given recent trends, this number is not impossible. Last year, KT recorded its all-time highest home attendance of 970,041 fans, coming very close to 10 thousand won. The team set a club record for single-season sellouts with 24 instances and achieved 9 consecutive sold-out games from the July 18 game against Hanwha Eagles through the August 10 game against Samsung Lions.
This year, the team's performance is also adding momentum. Led by manager Lee Kang-cheol (60), KT holds sole first place as of the conclusion of games on the 16th with a record of 76 wins, 46 losses, and 4 ties. In its recent 10 games, the team recorded 7 wins, 1 tie, and 2 losses, sitting 2.5 games ahead of second-place Samsung. The late-season championship race is another factor that will draw home fans.
The increase in attendance was not an overnight result. Opened in 1989, Suwon KT Wiz Park is considered one of the older stadiums in the KBO League, but it has undergone consistent renovations. Ahead of this season, the stadium's exterior walls were repainted and all seating areas were completely replaced. Table seats and cheering sections were expanded, and both artificial turf and safety fences were replaced with new ones.
Efforts were also made to enhance fan convenience. An internal wayfinding system was established so that seats, facilities, and entrances could be easily located, and the outfield convenience store area was converted into a kids' cafe for family spectators. Food vendor stalls were expanded, and a 30-meter-long LED panorama media wall was installed in the F&B zone.
The 'AI Stadium,' leveraging the strengths of its parent company, is another unique feature of KT. The team store introduced self-checkout using RFID, and AI cheer pools and electronic scoreboards were utilized to display fans' cheering messages directly on the stadium field.
The official application 'Wee-jang,' first launched in 2015 as the first by a domestic professional sports club, continues to evolve. Ticket booking, issuance, and entry procedures have been consolidated into one place, and last year, an interactive AI chatbot named 'Big Victor Secretary' was introduced to provide guidance on game information, tickets, parking, and more.
In connection with this 10 thousand won fan challenge, KT is also expanding its fan services. For every 10,000-unit booking group from the 910th,000th to the 990th,000th customer (a total of 9 groups), the club will provide invitations for an 8-person Skybox seat for the 2027 season. Additionally, five fans will be selected for each remaining home game to receive two postseason tickets as a gift, and prize events will be held for 20 participants per game.
The most special protagonist is the 1st millionth fan. The 10 thousand wonth customer based on ticket bookings will receive one season pass for a designated cheering seat for the 2027 season and an invitation to an 8-person Skybox. In 2025, KT recorded 970,041 fans—just 29,059 short of reaching its first-ever 10 thousand won fans.
However, this year the team has already surpassed 840,000 fans and is leading the standings. With improvements to the viewing environment accumulated over recent years added to the mix, the first-ever 10 thousand won fans for Korea's youngest professional baseball club is now approaching as a realistic figure.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
