Featured image credit: Haeahn Architecture
The Korean Baseball Organisation (KBO) has announced that its 2025 All-Star Game will be played at Baseball Dream Park, a new stadium in Daejeon that is scheduled to open in the coming months.
It marks the first time the KBO has conducted a public contest to select the host city for the All-Star Game, in a move to improve the quality of the fan experience. The game is scheduled to take place on July 12.
The City of Daejeon proposed a hosting model for its new stadium to stage the event, and it was ratified as the venue during a KBO executive committee meeting last week.
Baseball Dream Park will serve as the home of KBO League club Hanwha Eagles. It will replace the 13,000-capacity Hanwha Life Eagles Park and intends to become a “national landmark” for South Korea.
Work commenced on the stadium, which will have a capacity of around 20,000, in March 2023. It has been designed by Haeahn Architecture and is being built by Kyeryong Construction Industrial. The cost of the stadium is KRW161.7bn (£88m/€107m/$113m).
Notably, the Dream Park will be the first KBO stadium with a two-tiered bullpen, enabling fans to view both the home team’s and visiting team’s relievers warming up. Offerings in and around the stadium will include an infinity pool, surfing zone, a playground for children and interactive sports exhibits.
Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo said: “I am very happy that Daejeon citizens have such a special love for baseball that the entire nation knows about it. We will thoroughly prepare to hold a successful All-Star Game by devising linkage measures so that it can be reborn as a festival rather than a simple baseball competition.”
KBO commissioner Heo Gu-yeon added: “I would like to thank Daejeon Metropolitan City for their full support. I am sure fans have even greater expectations as the All-Star Game will be held in a newly built baseball stadium. I hope that through mutual cooperation with Daejeon Metropolitan City, we can successfully host the All-Star Game next year and contribute to the development of the local government.”
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