LG Returns to the Top, Hanwha’s Remarkable Surge... Celebrating and Mourning with 12 Million Fans [2025 KBO League Review]

[Financial News] The 2025 KBO League season concluded with the LG Twins claiming the unified championship. By winning both the regular season and the Korean Series, LG reclaimed the throne just two years after their 2023 triumph, solidifying their status as the strongest team of the 2020s. However, LG was not the only protagonist this year. The 44th season, written together by all ten clubs and their fans, was a year marked by records, reversals, and tragedy.
Under the leadership of manager Youm Kyoung-youb, the LG Twins established dominance from the early stages of the regular season, fending off challenges from the Hanwha Eagles and Samsung Lions. With balanced pitching and batting and a deep roster, they remained steady throughout the Postseason. LG defeated the Hanwha Eagles 4-1 in the Korean Series, capturing their fourth overall title after previous wins in 1990, 1994, and 2023. Manager Youm, having led the team to two championships in three seasons, is credited with laying the foundation for the 'LG dynasty.'
LG's championship was the result of stable club management and a robust player development system. General manager Cha Myung-seok’s long-term roster planning paid off, while the synergy of veterans like Shin Min-jae, Park Hae-min, and Kim Hyun-soo with young talents such as Moon Bo-kyung and Kim Young-woo stood out.

Although they fell short of the title, the 2025 season was a year of 'revival' for the Hanwha Eagles. In their second year under manager Kim Kyung-moon, Hanwha finished second in the league, powered by a strong foreign pitching duo of Weiss and Ponce and the emergence of Moon Dong-ju and Kim Seo-hyun. With Daejeon Hanwha Life Eagles Park as their new home, they surpassed one million home fans for the first time in club history. Reaching the Korean Series for the first time in 19 years was a symbolic moment for Hanwha baseball. Despite losing to LG 1-4, 2025 will be remembered as a season of hope for the Hanwha fans, once called 'saintly fans.'

The Kia Tigers, last year's unified champions, plummeted after midseason as core players Kim Do-young, Choi Hyoung-woo, and Na Sung-bum were sidelined by injuries. Delays in restructuring the pitching staff led to a collapse on the mound, and the team finished eighth. The once-dominant batting lineup lost its edge, and the Tigers failed to make consecutive Postseason appearances.
For the Lotte Giants, the disappointment was even greater. Under manager Kim Tae-hyung, the team was part of a three-way race with LG and Hanwha through the first half of the season, but a disastrous 12-game losing streak in August shattered their hopes. The collapse of pitching and batting balance, along with bullpen instability, resulted in Lotte missing the Postseason for the eighth consecutive year since 2017.

Meanwhile, this year's KBO League once again proved itself as a 'spectator sport.' For the second consecutive year, attendance surpassed 10 million, and in 2025, a record-breaking 12,312,519 fans attended games. Even during major events like the South Korea–United States summit and the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting (APEC Summit) at the end of October, the Korean Series broadcast topped terrestrial TV ratings, reflecting the nation's passion for baseball. Notably, all 16 Postseason games were sold out, marking only the third time this has happened after 2010 and 2024, reaffirming baseball's status as Korea’s national sport.

The darkest moment of the 2025 season was the structure collapse at Changwon NC Park in March. A spectator was killed after being struck by a falling structure during a game, marking the most tragic incident in KBO history. In response, the KBO and all ten clubs launched urgent safety inspections, and the issue of stadium safety became a key topic during the Parliamentary Inspection of the Administration at the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. The NC Dinos were unable to host home games for nearly two months, severely impacting team operations and local marketing. This incident underscored that, alongside quantitative growth in attendance, ensuring a 'safe viewing environment' remains a critical challenge for the KBO.
jsi@fnnews.com Jeon Sang-il Reporter