Olympic Stadium to host baseball games as Seoul builds new sports MICE complex

Professional baseball games will be held at Seoul Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul from 2027 to 2031 while nearby Jamsil Baseball Stadium undergoes construction as part of the city's MICE Complex project.

A rendered image of a domed baseball stadium scheduled to be built by 2031 in Jamsil, Songpa District, southern Seoul, provided by the city government on Tuesday. [SEOUL METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT]

Professional baseball games will be held at Seoul Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul from 2027 to 2031 while nearby Jamsil Baseball Stadium undergoes construction as part of the city's MICE Complex project.

Jamsil Baseball Stadium will be demolished and replaced by a domed stadium featuring a hotel by 2031. The new stadium is scheduled to open in March 2032.

The Doosan Bears and the LG Twins, who have their home at the Jamsil Baseball Stadium, will use the temporary venue for the 2027 to 2031 KBO seasons, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said Tuesday.

Seoul Olympic Stadium will seat up to 18,000 fans on the first and second floors for regular season games. The stadium can accommodate more than 30,000 fans for select games, including during the postseason if the third floor is opened following safety considerations. The current Jamsil Baseball Stadium seats about 24,000 spectators.

Around 30 to 40 billion won ($22 to 29 million) will be spent on renovating Seoul Olympic Stadium to host baseball games.

Mokdong Baseball Stadium and Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul were the other temporary home candidates. However, the city government said that Jamsil was chosen because the other candidates lacked certain conditions, and because the Jamsil area is an iconic baseball site. It also took into account the baseball teams' requests.

Since last October, the city government held five meetings and site inspections with the KBO and the two baseball teams to choose the venue.

The soccer field and track at the current Seoul Olympic Stadium will be refurbished into a KBO-regulation baseball field. Indoor areas will be reconstructed into dugouts and spaces for the players.

As construction for the city’s MICE Complex project will be underway in the area, the city government said that two pathways would be extended for spectators to access the stadium, including a four- to eight-meter-wide pathway from Bongeun Bridge in the west.

Another six-meter-wide path will be constructed in the east along the Han River. Depending on the construction status, city officials added, more roads will be built in the area.

Planning for the Seoul Olympic Stadium will begin in March of next year and continue through February 2026. Construction will start in March 2026 and is expected to be completed by December of that year to open the temporary venue in March 2027.

After the domed stadium opens, Seoul Olympic Stadium will be used to host soccer games and concerts as it did before, following additional renovation.

“We will prioritize the safety and convenience of spectators for the Jamsil Olympic Stadium so that it will not be seen as a temporary venue despite being built as an alternative during the construction of the dome stadium,” Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [cho.jungwoo1@joongang.co.kr]