Seoul’s new domed baseball stadium set to feature adjoining hotel

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is planning to build a domed stadium on the site of the Jamsil Baseball Stadium, with the new venue set to feature an adjoining hotel overlooking the field.

The stadium will form part of the wider Jamsil Sports MICE Complex, a multi-purpose development on the site of the 1988 Olympic Games in the Korean capital.

Plans for the Populous-designed Jamsil Sports MICE Complex were first unveiled in March 2022. It was announced at the time that the development would include a 35,000-seat open-air baseball park and an 11,000-seat complex capable of hosting local sports, esports, live performances and other events.

More details of the planned baseball stadium have now emerged, with a domed building set to be preferred to an open-air venue. Korean news agency Yonhap reported that Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon unveiled the plans on Saturday following a tour of Rogers Centre, the home of Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays, which has a retractable roof.

It is hoped that work on the new stadium can begin in 2026, with a view to opening by the end of 2031. The Seoul Metropolitan Government had already appointed the Hanwha E&C consortium to carry out the work.

Yonhap’s report added that the stadium will include a range of premium seats and an adjoining 300-room hotel. The hotel would feature 120 rooms overlooking the stadium.

Oh said: “Watching the baseball game is the purpose, but the well-built facilities, the attached hotel in particular, render the experience like a festival. We are reviewing the plan to build the stadium in combination with a hotel so that a baseball game can be enjoyed like a festival.”

Last month, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced plans for a major redevelopment of the nearby Jamsil Olympic Stadium as part of proposals to bid for the 2036 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The project will look to focus on the interior of the stadium under a three-year plan that intends to be completed by December 2026. The exterior of the stadium will reportedly retain its original design, including its symbolic canopy, in order to preserve its historical value. Seating capacity will also be reduced from 65,000 to 60,000.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government is set to commence work on the baseball stadium once the Olympic Stadium project has been completed.