Lee Jongbeom finally opened his mouth "Regretting joining 'The Greatest Baseball'...""I want to return to KBO" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Former KT coach Lee Jong-beom, who joined JTBC's "Strongest Baseball" Breakers, bowed directly to the controversy surrounding "Strongest Baseball" and expressed his intention to return to the field.

Lee Jong-beom appeared on MBC SPORTS+ 'Beyond', which aired on the 6th, and told various stories.

On this day, Lee Jong-beom opened his mouth on issues related to "the strongest baseball" after being asked by announcer Park So-young, "If you have anything to explain, wouldn't it be comfortable to leave it all behind?"

Lee Jong-beom said, "The process was not smooth when I took over the 'strongest baseball' in June last year. "I thought short and regretted a lot," he said. "I have to live with it because it was the wrong choice. However, the process after that was too difficult. I'm thinking a lot and making plans for the future," he said.

Lee Jong-beom then said, "I suffered from health problems due to stress at the time," adding, "I developed vitiligo because I was very stressed. I'm humbly accepting it because it's my choice." Also, "I'm sorry to the players I've been watching at KT." "I could have done more as a coach, but I'm sorry I couldn't," he said, adding, "I'm very disappointed and regretful as I left a little late."

Lee Jong-beom also said, "I'm constantly thinking about how to go back to the site," adding, "When I get a call, I go anywhere unconditionally. I will try harder to be recognized by fans and officials," he stressed.

Lee Jong-beom previously caused controversy when he joined the "strongest baseball" Breakers while serving as KT Wiz coach in the KBO League in 2025. "The Greatest Baseball" is a real sports entertainment in which retired professional baseball players form a team together to challenge baseball again.

Lee Jong-beom said of joining as the Breakers coach at the time, "I had a hard time. It was not an easy decision. Some people were disappointed that it went in a different direction for the first time in 32 years. "I'm sorry," he said. "It's the coach's role to make a victory with his brother's leadership. I will do my best," he said.

However, "The Greatest Baseball" was tentatively ended after the broadcast on February 2nd amid legal conflicts with "fireball" and the aftermath of low ratings. JTBC explained at the time that it had decided to organize the season in consideration of the conditions for the programming ahead of the broadcast of the "2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics" ahead of the opening, but it drew attention in that it was a de facto abolition step.

"The Greatest Baseball" has been broadcasting for more than two years since its first broadcast in June 2022, forming a solid enthusiast, but it marked a turning point when Studio C1, an outsourced production company that was in charge of production, withdrew from "The Greatest Baseball" after a conflict with JTBC, and launched "Fireworks Baseball" with existing cast members such as Lee Dae-ho, Park Yong-taek and Jung Geun-woo.

Currently, JTBC continues to take legal action against Studio C1, apart from the end of the "strongest baseball."

The conflict between the two sides has erupted since early last year. JTBC claimed that Studio C1 charged excessive production costs and did not disclose financial records, while Studio C1 countered that it was structurally impossible to charge excessive production costs.

JTBC filed a criminal complaint against Studio C1 and producer Jang Si-won on charges of violating copyright law and trademark law and breach of duty, and also filed an injunction to ban copyright infringement and unfair competition activities to ban the production, sale, and distribution of "fireball." The court ruled in favor of JTBC in December last year. The court decided to ban the production of "fireball" and the disclosure of related content, saying, "The act of producing and transmitting "fireball," which contains content that implies that it is actually the follow-up season of "the strongest baseball," constitutes an act of unfair competition under Article 2, No. 1 of the Unfair Competition Prevention Act."

In response, Studio C1 countered that some of the claims were not accepted, and later attempted to release the contents, but eventually deleted the main video. JTBC has made it clear that it will take additional legal action immediately if the new season of "fireball" is released in the future. He also warned, "Even after the decision to dispose of the provisional disposition, the act of stealing the law, such as disclosing consecutive rounds, will be subject to strict legal judgment in the main lawsuit."

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*This content was translated by AI.