(LEAD) Veteran broadcaster Heo Koo-youn elected new KBO commissioner

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By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- A longtime baseball commentator Heo Koo-youn has been formally elected the new commissioner of the South Korean professional league.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday its board of governors, made up of the 10 club owners, unanimously approved Heo's nomination the previous day.

Heo, 71, had been put up for the position by the team presidents on March 11. He needed at least a three-quarters majority from the owners to be elected.

The KBO said Heo's inauguration ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. next Tuesday at its southern Seoul headquarters. The regular season starts four days later on April 2.

Though the commissioner's term is typically three years, Heo will only serve until Dec. 31, 2023, covering the remainder of the term for his predecessor, Chung Ji-taik. Chung abruptly resigned last month, just over a year into his tenure, citing health problems.

With the league marking its 40th anniversary this year while trying to win back fans lost amid the COVID-19 pandemic and off-field incidents, Heo said Friday he understands he is taking the reins at a critical juncture and that he hopes to make 2022 "a turning point" for South Korean baseball.

"It's the commissioner's job to solve difficult problems, and I hope to be able to highlight some of the positive side of Korean baseball," Heo said in a phone conversation with Yonhap News Agency. "The commissioner has to balance the interests of fans, clubs and players to help develop the league. And it's never easy to find the compromise when every party has its own interest. But first and foremost, I'd like to ask the teams and players to put their fans above all else. Players have to be professional on the field, and teams have to serve their fans well."

Heo, a former semi-pro player in the 1970s, is the first baseball lifer to become the KBO commissioner. The position has previously been filled by politicians and corporate executives.

He retired before the founding of the pro league in 1982 and entered the television booth as a color commentator. He had a brief stint as manager for the downtrodden Chungbo Pintos in 1986 and resigned after going 8-23 that year.

He was the bench coach for another KBO club, Lotte Giants, in 1987. In 1990, Heo worked as a minor league roving instructor for the Toronto Blue Jays and served at every level of the team's minor leagues, before returning to TV in 1991. Over the past three decades, Heo has been one of the most recognizable and beloved voices in South Korean baseball, while also serving in a wide range of administrative positions for the KBO. Outside the TV booth, Heo has been a vocal proponent for infrastructure improvements across the league.

"I've met with many officials from regional governments, and stressed the importance of building stadiums and improving training conditions," Heo said. "We desperately need new ballparks around the country. I know corporate owners may find it difficult to discuss these issues with regional authorities, but I will do it for them as commissioner. I will be willing to fight them if that's what it takes.

"There have been too many instances where local governments promised to build new stadiums and never lived up to those words," Heo continued. "I hope cities across the country feel proud to have professional baseball teams. This may be extreme, but if regional governments don't treat ball clubs with respect, then teams should be willing to pack up and leave. I will never allow local authorities to simply bully baseball teams without offering them any help."

The KBO players' association and its retired players' association both welcomed Heo's nomination earlier this month.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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