Mok-dong Ballpark Readying for the Majors

Mok-dong Ballpark is emerging as a new mecca for baseball.

Mok-dong Ballpark in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul was completed in 1989 and has been used for baseball games for primary school students or celebrities. The outfield was covered with natural grass but was dusty, and facilities for spectators was lacking. So the ballpark was considered unfit for major games.

But by hosting the 62nd All-Korea High School Baseball Tournament (Mar. 19-31), Mok-dong Ballpark has transformed itself. For this event, Seoul City government invested 5.3 billion won for the ballpark’s facelift which began in 2007.

Natural grass has been replaced with artificial turf and the fence is equipped with buffers for players’ safety. Behind the outfield is a bullpen for pitchers. The narrow dugout was rebuilt on both the first and second floors. Old and dirty underground facilities were re-partitioned and painted to give them a clean, new look.

Work on the locker room and outfield bleachers has not yet been completed but is scheduled to be done before the tournament. The Woori Heroes, which gave the Korea Baseball League its eight team, will use the ballpark as its home stadium. Baseball fans can see the renovated stadium at the Apr. 1 opening game.

The Seoul Metropolitan Facilities Management Corporation has been very busy remodeling the baseball facility since the start of the year.

The original plan was to refit the building for high school baseball games but was changed to meet professional standards. Director of maintenance Kwak Jeong-soo said, “Nowadays, we have reporters and staff from the Korea Baseball Association, Korea Baseball League, and the Woori Heroes, visiting every day to see the progress of construction. It is difficult to do our job.”

creating@donga.com