Members of army, navy, air forces in a family join a baseball event

In celebration of May, dubbed as Family Month in South Korea, the country’s professional baseball league will amuse its fans in a specially arranged sporting event where a family whose members serve as army, navy, and air force officers will deliver a ceremonial first pitch, swing, and catch.

The Ministry of National Defense announced on Thursday that an army officer would deliver a first pitch; his daughter, a navy officer, will make a ceremonial swing; and his son, an air force officer, will catch the ball prior to the upcoming match between Kiwoom Heroes and SSG Landers scheduled at 2 p.m. this Sunday in the Gocheok Sky Dome, Seoul. Mr. Eo’s family has a special background story where all the family members served or currently serve in the military. Eo Yoon-yong, the father, works as a sergeant major in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Captain Eo Si-young, his son, serves the 3rd Air Defense Missile Brigade, and Eo Yeon-woo, a petty officer first class in the Naval Air Command, is his daughter. Even his wife, Choi Ye-rin, worked as a staff sergeant in the army by 1993. The ministry said that the event would give citizens a clear message that the military will unite strongly to safeguard the nation and help boost morale and a sense of pride among South Korean military troops.

Sergeant Major Eo, the ceremonial first pitcher, joined the army as one of the 74th class special warfare non-commissioned officers in 1989 and later worked as a sergeant major in the 3rd Infantry Division, the ROK V Corps, and so on. Since November 2019, he has been sergeant major in the Joint Chiefs of Staff to assist the command activities of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Captain Eo, the first catcher, and PO1 Eo, the first batter, were commissioned in 2017 as part of the 138th class of the Officer Training School and the Republic of Korea Naval Academy’s 255th class, respectively. The former, an air defense artillery officer, and the latter, a petty officer in charge of electricity and instruments for aircraft, keep the country’s airspace and territorial waters safe.

“I am proud of my family representing the ROK military in this event. My parents inspired me to join the military when I was young,” Captain Eo said. “I will stay dedicated to the peace of the country with a sense of duty as a military officer.”


Hyo-Ju Son hjson@donga.com