“Homerun King Lee Seung-yeop Came” Chiba Japan Warmly Welcomes

Korean “Lion King” landed in the Japanese islands.

27-year-old Lee Seung-yeop, who has decided to play in Japan, attended the joining ceremony to wear the Lotte Marines uniform at the New Otani Hotel in Chiba, Makuhari, Japan on December 16.

Lee was handed a uniform with the number 36 and “Lee” written on it by Kawakita Tomokazu, team owner, at the joining ceremony with a placard written “Korean Lion King Lee Seung-yeop.”

“Samsung weighs on my mind,” Lee said at the departure interview prior to the joining ceremony. However if there is a meeting, there is a parting. He made up his mind saying, “I will perform well and will adapt myself to a new environment.”

“I am ashamed of that. I will never show you tears again,” Lee commented his shedding of tears at the press conference announcing his signing with Chiba. “Senior players who had experience in the Japanese professional baseball advised me that I had better join the team and adapt myself as soon as possible. At the outset, I will train in Japan from the end of January, but I think I have to advance the date,” said Lee.

Lee appears to be attending the Lotte Marine’s group training which starts January 10 next year.

After Lee came to Japan and receiving warm welcomes by Korean residents in Chiba, Japan, Lee was allocated a locker and measured for his uniform size at the Chiba Marines Stadium, the home ballpark, and appeared at a press conference for about an hour from 4 p.m. About 100 Korean and Japanese reporters attended and competed to get more information at this conference.

Japanese reporters treated Lee’s joining Chiba as big news, comparable to Sun Dong-yul’s signing with the Chunichi Dragons. It is anticipated that the “Korean strong wind” will blow strongly in next year’s Japanese professional baseball. It is known that recently, manager Oh Sadaharu of Daiei Hawks showed wariness to the Chiba team which signed manager Bobby Valentine and Lee Seung-yeop.

Lee, who finished the joining ceremony this day, is expected meet Shin Dong-bin, the acting general manager of Chiba Lotte Marines, on December 17. After that Lee will return home and start a self-training program from December 22 in Daegu.

parkwj@donga.com ssoo@donga.com