US Major League Baseball opens game in South Korea...Seoul mayor strengthens cooperation with MLB vice president

The opening game of the American Major League Baseball (MLB) regular season will be held in Seoul, South Korea for the first time this March. On the 9th (local time), Seoul Mayor Oh Sehun announced that he was playing MLB during his visit to the United States.
We met with Charlie Hill, Vice President of , to discuss cooperation to make the event a success and future plans to strengthen our partnership.
The opening game will be held as the ``2024 MLB World Tour Seoul Series'' on March 20th and 21st at Kocheok Sky Dome in Seoul. South Korea
The matchup between the LA Dodgers and San Diego Padres is especially popular, and the event is sponsored by MLB and sponsored by Seoul City.
The MLB World Tour, which began in 2022, is a regular tour of MLB in various parts of the world with the aim of globalizing baseball.
-This is a project to hold a season. This year's Seoul Series will be the third to be held in Asia, following Japan and Australia, and the ninth to be held outside of the United States and Canada.
South Korean players Kim Ha-seong and Ko Woo-seok, who play for the Padres, will participate. The Dodgers also have Japanese players such as Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish.
It is expected to be a big game that will attract not only Korean fans but also overseas fans. The American economic magazine Forbes calls this year's Seoul series ``New Year's sports that you should see even if you travel.''
It was evaluated as ``A true event.'' This meeting was held in response to the city of Seoul's efforts to provide all-round administrative support, including facility management, traffic control, and safety management, to ensure the success of the Seoul Series.
It was said that the event was held by MLB to express its gratitude to the city. The city offers a fun and safe way for baseball fans from home and abroad to watch the first MLB regular season game in Korea.
In order to ensure that MLB players can play in the best possible environment, we have been working on renovating Kocheok Dome's facilities, including replacing floodlights and artificial turf, and improving the field.
During the meeting, Mr. Oh said, ``Compared to domes in the United States and Canada, the Kocheok Dome in South Korea is smaller in size, but it is very popular with the enthusiasm of the spectators who come to watch games.
I think the level of participation exceeded expectations." He also said, ``If (Seoul Series) starts and events like this continue to be held every year, more people in Korea will love baseball.
, MLB will be able to expand its fan base,'' and expressed hope and expectation, ``I hope that the event will be a success and set a good precedent.''
Vice President Hill said, ``The success of the Seoul Series will expand the base of MLB and baseball in Seoul City.
We hope that it will be a good opportunity for expansion and cultural exchange." Mr. Oh also stated, ``In connection with the Jamsil Dome stadium construction plan, we will preserve the world's best baseball industry know-how.''
He said it would be a great help if he established an advisory cooperation system with MLB, which owns Seoul, and hopes that it will become an example of collaboration between MLB and Seoul City through various cooperation such as baseball cultural exchange and discovering young players.
"I have," he added. Last September, when Mr. Oh visited Rogers Center, the home stadium of MLB's Toronto Blue Jays, on a business trip to North America, he saw the dome stadium in the Jamsil area.
It was announced that a damp, cutting-edge sports and exhibition and convention facility will be created.