Koo Dae-sung Deal to be Announced Next Week at Latest

Though Douglas Jo (Jo Dong-yoon) announced December 9 that Koo Dae-sung (35) signed a contract with the New York Yankees, the Yankees still haven’t made a formal announcement on the signing. Koo Dae-sung, previously known to have been residing in the United States, was recently discovered to have entered Korea and to be taking a vacation with his family.

We interviewed Cho on December 27 for the latest news.

―Why didn’t you announce that Koo Dae-sung entered Korea?

“He wanted it to be kept secret. He didn’t want people to make a big fuss about this. He left the U.S. on December 17, made a short stop in Osaka, Japan, and entered Korea. He’ll probably leave Korea now that it’s known that he’s entered the country.”

―No formal announcements have been made yet on his joining the team. Is there a problem?

“Not at all. It’s just that the Yankees are going through a hectic period, what with bringing in Randy Johnson (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Carlos Beltran (Houston Astros) to the team. Please be a little more patient.”

―When will the announcements be made?

“The team will make the formal announcement as early as December 30, and the first week of January at the latest.”

―Are the Yankees making the necessary arrangements for the formal entrance ceremonies?

“Yes they will. And of course Koo will be there.”

According to Jo, the relatively unknown Koo Dae-sung has been temporarily pushed aside for the star players. This seems to account for the delay in the announcements. Several doubts remain.

But the delay in formally announcing the three-year, $21 million deal of right-handed pitcher Jaret Wright to the Yankees, as announced by the American media, shows that the Yankees might have different working methods. Or perhaps Koo Dae-sung is undergoing some predicaments of his own.

Sang-Soo Kim ssoo@donga.com