Wyverns Purchase Train Station Naming Rights

An SOS post like ‘ Let me know how to get to the ballpark, it’s urgent, T.T.” is commonly found on Internet portal sites.

Starting this year, however, fans of SK, a Korean professional baseball team, will not have to worry about this because SK obtained the right to add the name “SK Wyverns” to a train station linked to its home ballpark from the Incheon Rapid Transit Corporation (IRTC) on Monday. It is the first subway station named after a professional sports team in Korea.

As early as the beginning of next month, ‘SK Wyverns Station” will be added to the existing name of “Munhak Stadium Station.”

It is common for the corporate ownership of a major sports team to sell its name to companies, just like the New York Mets did when they sold the naming rights to Shea Stadium to Citigroup. But SK is unique in that it bought the name of a train station for advertising purposes.

jeon@donga.com