"Priority May be Given to the Team Taking over Hyundai"

The construction of a dome baseball stadium, a long hope of baseball players, has started.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Ansan City and Hyundai Consortium (Hyundai Securities and Hyundai Construction) to build a multi-purpose dome baseball stadium at the conference hall of Ansan City Hall of Gyeonggi Province on Tuesday. Shin Sang-woo, the president of the KBO, Park Joo-won, the mayor of Ansan City, Lee Jong-soo, the CEO of Hyundai Construction, and Kang Yeon-jae, the vice president of Hyundai Securities, signed the contract respectively.

The dome stadium in Ansan, the first of its kind in Korea, will commence its construction on the 59,274 pyeong -a measurement used in Korea corresponding to 3.954 square yards- near the “Wa” Stadium by attracting 700-800 billion won in private fund and will be completed in 2012. Ansan City has provided the site and Hyundai Consortium will attract investment and construct the stadium. Co-op residences, hotels, department stores, and a district office will be established near the facility.

Ansan mayor Park said, “We will construct a world-class stadium with a natural grass playing field and open and close panels and attract a professional baseball team and host an international baseball game.” Ansan City will also use the stadium for cultural purposes such as performances and concerts. The KBO and Ansan City hope to host the preliminary game in Asia for the 2013 World Baseball Classic (WBC).

“We need to have negotiations with the board of directors and the general assembly to decide on a home-based baseball team for the stadium, but we may give the priority to a newly-created team or a team that takes over the Hyundai team,” said KBO president Shin.

jeon@donga.com