“We’re playing baseball. (More than that), I think the people who come to watch baseball should be comfortable.”

Doosan Bears manager Lee Seung-yeop gives his first thoughts on Seoul’s dome ballpark plan.

The city of Seoul unveiled its plans for the Jamsil Dome Stadium (tentative name) for the first time on Nov. 18. According to the city’s announcement, the current Jamsil Baseball Stadium will be demolished and a dome ballpark with a closed structure will be built in its place. The total construction cost will be around 500 billion won. Seoul promises to build a state-of-the-art stadium with more than 30,000 seats, capable of hosting international games, and a variety of other facilities, including hotels and restaurants.

The problem is time. The city has estimated the construction period at January 2027 through the end of 2031, meaning that both the LG Twins and Doosan, who used Jamsil, will have to find a new ballpark to replace Jamsil for a total of six seasons starting in 2026, when construction begins.

“I don’t have an opinion,” Lee Seung-yeop told reporters before the 2023 KBO regular season game against the NC Dinos at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on Sept. 19. “We (the team) are in the position of playing baseball, but I think it’s more important for the people who come to watch baseball to be comfortable. Even if we put everything else aside, the fans should watch in a good environment,” Lee insisted.

“The fan culture is very mature and has developed a lot, so (we have to) be considerate of the fans. Especially in Seoul, it’s a special city. You can’t just think about Doosan fans. There are a lot of people from the opposing team as well. There are also many away fans. I think it would be nice to play in a place where they are comfortable and easy to watch.”스포츠토토

The coach’s comments could be interpreted as an expectation for the new stadium, which will be a closed dome that will be protected from all seasons and climates. However, if we take it as a reference to the replacement stadium, it could also be a lament about the long construction period and the lack of a suitable replacement stadium. Mokdong, Gochuk, Suwon, and Munhak are too far away for fans with ties to Seoul, and it is difficult to replace the transportation convenience of Jamsil.

Meanwhile, Doosan, which has won seven straight games until the Gwangju KIA Tigers on the 18th, will try to make it eight in a row against NC. The opposition is not easy. While Doosan has announced a backup starter in Jang Won-jun, NC will send out ace Eric Peddie, who leads the league in three pitching categories.