Landers’ Kwang-hyun ranks No.1 in KBO’s salary

SSG Landers' leading pitcher Kim Kwang-hyun became the highest-paid player in the Korean Baseball Organization League this year.

According to KBO salary data released on Wednesday, Kim will earn three billion won this season, the highest among 597 registered players including rookies and international players. Hanwha pitcher Ryu Hyun-jin, KT pitcher Ko Young-pyo, and Samsung outfielder Koo Ja-wook ranked No.2 with two billion won each. Kim’s salary spiked by two billion won from last year’s one billion won, recording the largest increase among registered players. Added to this, his salary this year surpassed the 19th-year earnings of both Lee Dae-ho (2019) and Ryu Hyun-jin (2024), who previously held the record at 2.5 billion won.

KIA infielder Kim Do-young (22), the 2024 regular-season MVP, recorded the highest salary increase rate (400 percent), jumping from 100 million won to 500 million won. Excluding FA and non-FA multi-year contracts, this marks the third-largest increase in KBO history, following Ha Jae-hoon’s 455.6 percent (2020) and Cho Hyung-joon’s 418.5 percent (2021).

This year, the average annual salary of 519 registered players, excluding rookies and foreign players, reached a record high of 160.71 million won, marking a 3.7 percent increase from last year’s average of 154.95 million won. By team, SSG Landers, where Kim Kwang-hyun belongs, recorded the highest average salary at 221.25 million won, with a 30.3 percent year-on-year increase—the largest among all clubs.


조영우기자 jero@donga.com