“Green light for Commissioner Heo Goo-yeon’s third term”: Former KBSA Chairman Lee Jong-hoon suddenly withdraws as KBO commissioner candidate

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Lee Jong-hoon (58), former president of the Korea Baseball and Softball Association, who had unexpectedly entered the race for the next chairman of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), declared his final decision not to run.

According to baseball circles on the 24th, Lee Jeon (Chairman) conveyed his intention not to participate in the upcoming KBO chairman election to the KBO office on the previous day (the 23rd). The KBO office is reported to have informed the 10th professional baseball teams of this fact.

Lee Jeon (Chairman) had drawn attention as a rival to incumbent KBO Chairman Heo Goo-yeon (75) in his bid for a third term. With Chairman Heo’s term expiring in December of this year, the KBO began the process of electing the next chairman in early this month.

As a result of receiving candidate nominations from the 10th teams up to the 20th, Lee Jeon (Chairman) received a nomination from a team based in the metropolitan area, seemingly forming a competitive dynamic between the two. However, with Lee Jeon (Chairman) ultimately expressing his intention not to run, Chairman Heo has effectively become the sole candidate.

Chairman Heo is the first chairman in KBO history to have a background as a baseball player. He took office as the 24th chairman following the resignation of former Chairman Jung Ji-taek in March 2022, taking his first step as the head of professional baseball administration.

Chairman Heo, who completed the remaining approximately one year and nine months of former Chairman Jung’s term, was re-elected as the 25th chairman through a unanimous written vote at the KBO general meeting in November 2023. He has continued his term for three years since then and is now challenging for another term ahead of its expiration at the end of this year.

Baseball circles have long assessed the likelihood of Chairman Heo’s third term as high. This is because during his tenure, the KBO League has seen a surge in popularity and various institutional improvements have been implemented. In fact, the KBO League has surpassed 10 million spectators for three consecutive years up to this year, and exceeded 12 million spectators for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026. The scale of broadcast rights contracts has also increased significantly, impacting the revenue growth of the teams.

Expanding the base of baseball and building infrastructure are also issues that Chairman Heo has consistently pursued. He met directly with local government officials to promote the construction of baseball stadiums and facility improvements, and showed interest in youth baseball development through initiatives such as establishing a sports science center, the Next Level Training Camp, and tee-ball tournaments.

There were also efforts to enhance the fairness of judgments, including the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). This was part of the “Fan First” and “Clean Baseball” policies that Chairman Heo has emphasized since taking office. Results were also achieved in international competitions. The Korean national baseball team advanced to the quarterfinals of this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time in 17 years since 2009, and achieved a fifth consecutive title at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

However, Lee Jeon (Chairman)’s withdrawal does not immediately mean the confirmation of Chairman Heo’s third term. According to KBO regulations, a chairman candidate must be nominated with the consent of at least three-quarters of the attending directors from the board of directors composed of 10 Koo Dan (President)s. Subsequently, final election requires obtaining the approval of at least three-quarters of the attending members at a general meeting involving team owners and others.

If Chairman Heo succeeds in securing a third term, he will become the third chairman in KBO history to achieve a third consecutive term, following former Chairman Park Yong-o (12th–14th) and former Chairman Koo Bon-neung (19th–21st). The KBO is expected to hold a board meeting next week to finalize the procedure for nominating the next chairman candidate.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.View Original