Plan to build national baseball museum in Busan approved

Plans to build a Korean baseball museum in Busan’s Gijang county received preliminary government approval this week, with the facility expected to open in 2026.

A computer-generated image shows a birds-eye view of the Gijang KBO-Baseball Center with the new baseball museum. [KBO]

Plans to build a Korean baseball museum in Busan’s Gijang county received preliminary government approval this week, with the facility expected to open in 2026.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on Tuesday approved the Korea Baseball Organization’s plans to build the museum as part of the Gijang-KBO Baseball Center, also known as the Gijang-Hyundai Motor Dream Ballpark, a large baseball complex operated by the city of Busan.

Construction of the museum is scheduled to start in the first half of next year, with the site expected to be completed within 2026, according to the KBO Thursday.

In addition to housing about 50,000 artifacts related to the history of Korean baseball, the Gijang-KBO Baseball Center will also be the home of the KBO Hall of Fame. The league plans to induct new players into the Hall of Fame every year, with the annual ceremony held at the Gijang complex.

A computer-generated image shows the baseball museum. [KBO]

The decision to open the museum comes amid a general push to better recognize Korea’s sporting history. The KBO last year held a series of events to mark the league’s 40th anniversary, including releasing a list of 40 legends of KBO history — a sort of hall of fame by any other name.

The K League is also going through a similar process, announcing the creation of its own Hall of Fame this year and plans to build a football museum in Cheonan, South Chungcheong.

Gijang County, located north of Haeundae District on the coast at the edge of the city, is a rapidly growing area of Busan and an increasingly popular vacation destination.

Although still largely rural, Gijang is home to a number of recently-opened high-end hotels and resorts, including the popular Ananti Hilton Busan, and attractions like Lotte World Everland Busan. The KBO complex is further up the coast to the north of the region, next to the LPGA International Busan, a golf course that previously played host to the BMW Ladies Championship.

Busan is a fitting home for the baseball museum. The city considers itself to be the heartland of Korean baseball culture, having been home to the Lotte Giants since 1975, seven years before the KBO even existed.

The Giants are one of the five remaining league-founding teams still active in the KBO today and remain one of the most popular teams in the country. The Giants play at Sajik Baseball Stadium in the center of Busan, some 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the new Gijang museum location.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]