A conflict has erupted between the Seoul Facilities Corporation and the Kiwoom Heroes baseball club over post-game additional batting practice, with critics calling the corporation's forced shutdown of stadium lights a rigid administrative response that ignores the realities of professional sports.
The Kiwoom Heroes, who lost 2-5 to the KIA Tigers at Seoul's Gocheok Sky Dome on the 26th, decided to hold post-game additional batting practice (teukta) after falling into a three-game losing streak amid a recent slump in their lineup. Teukta is a common practice in professional baseball used to escape losing streaks or restore batting form.
However, the Seoul Facilities Corporation blocked the practice, citing the absence of prior consultation. The Kiwoom club requested approximately 20 minutes of ground use after the game, citing that the venue rental period extended until 11 p.m. The Kiwoom-KIA game that day ended at 9:21 p.m., leaving roughly an hour and 40 minutes before the rental period expired.
The corporation, however, was unyielding. While players were heading out to the ground for practice, stadium lights were turned off. On-site reactions described it as effectively a "forced lights-out."
On the surface, both sides have some basis for their positions. Article 6 of the Seoul Metropolitan Sports Facilities Installation and Operation Ordinance stipulates that "if a game ends with usage time remaining, the permitted usage time shall be deemed fully used." The corporation explained that its response was based on principle, stating, "To use the stadium after a game, notification must be given at least several days in advance."
The problem is that such regulations do not align with the realities of professional baseball. Teukta is typically decided on the spot based on that day's game results and player conditions. According to those on the ground, predicting whether practice will be needed days in advance and applying for additional rental is virtually impossible.
By the corporation's logic, clubs would have to file additional usage applications for every game in preparation for "just-in-case scenarios," regardless of whether practice actually takes place. This is why the baseball community has criticized the move as "administration that fails to consider the nature of professional sports."
In particular, Kiwoom is the home club that uses Gocheok Sky Dome most frequently. With professional baseball recently enjoying record-breaking popularity, observers note that a public clash between the stadium's management entity and the home club poses a burden for both sides.
The controversy has been amplified by past "abuse of power" allegations surrounding the Seoul Facilities Corporation.
In November last year, while the South Korean national baseball team was training at Gocheok Sky Dome ahead of an exhibition match against Japan, a corporation employee caused a stir by bringing two acquaintances into the dugout, a restricted area reserved for the national team. The acquaintances obstructed players' training routes and even demanded private autographs and photos from Moon Bo-gyeong (LG Twins) and Won Tae-in (Samsung Lions) during practice, prompting the national team manager to intervene.
Article 12 of the Seoul Facilities Corporation's Code of Conduct for Employees states that employees must not use their positions to provide undue benefits to themselves or others. Article 17-4 also prohibits unfairly restricting the rights or authority of those related to one's duties or demanding actions not required of them.
