After the NC Park accident...What is the status of Jamsil X's resignation after 40 years of use +@ emergency safety inspection?→Decisive difference from the new stadium

Apr 01, 2025

Changwon NC Park safety check. Yonhap News

Changwon NC Park is a stadium loved by baseball fans for its wonderful appearance, including a striped display board and skybox, along with close local operation. Sports Chosun DB

Due to the unfortunate accident that occurred at Changwon NC Park, society's awareness of the safety of baseball sites is growing. Fortunately, as a result of emergency safety inspections conducted at baseball stadiums across the country, there do not appear to be any problems in the structure of the building, such as the collapse.

Last weekend, the 31st of last month, when the game was canceled, and on the 1st of last month, baseball stadiums across the country have been conducting safety inspections by local governments and facility management corporations that are jointly responsible for facility management.

Mr. A, in his 20s, who visited the scene on the 29th, died in two days after being seriously injured by a 2.6-meter-long aluminum louver (an attachment that manages the room temperature by covering the sun).

KBO set April 1-3 as a memorial period for A and canceled all five games on the 1st. The Changwon NC-SSG match will not be held on the 2nd and 3rd. The remaining four games will have a moment of silence for the victims of the game and will be held without support. All the squads will compete with ribbons. Each club as well as major players are also sending their condolences on social media.

Jamsil Stadium, which sold out. Jamsil = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.29/

In particular, the accident shocked baseball fans even more because it took place at Changwon NC Park, a state-of-the-art baseball stadium. This is because the belief that the NC Park, Daegu Lions Park, and Gwangju KIA Champions Field would be safer than the old stadium has been broken. It became an incident that poured cold water on baseball's fever, which hit 10 million spectators last year and continued to sell out at the opening of this year.

Although the events are different, there was also a case of a professional team that was evicted due to safety issues while the season opened and the league was in progress. KB Insurance received an E-grade (immediate eviction) during the second round, saying that its home stadium Uijeongbu Gymnasium was feared to collapse due to heavy snow.

However, KB Insurance was able to rent Kyungmin University Gymnasium, which was close to the end of the twists and turns, and suffered a blessing in disguise, ranking second in the regular season. On the other hand, it is difficult to find an alternative stadium due to the size and nature of the facilities, and even if you do, it is inevitable that the inconvenience to both the team and fans will increase.

Is the current safety situation in Jamsil Stadium (opened in 1982, 44th year) and Sajik Stadium (opened in 1986, 40th year) good.

Diagnosis that determines the safety level of a building is generally made every five to six years. However, both stadiums are undergoing separate safety inspections every two to three years, which is relatively short, as they are so old.

Baseball fans who enjoy baseball at the Sajik Stadium. Busan = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.09/

Judgment that there is an inconvenience in use, but there is no major safety problem yet due to the nature of the concrete structure. In particular, Jamsil is conducting additional safety inspections twice a year in a more simplified form. In both stadiums, there was no special problem with the results of the first safety inspection after the above-mentioned incident.

Except for Kiwoom, which rents Gocheok Dome for a day, KBO League clubs are doing what they call 'the presidential office (borrowing the entire facility for a certain period of time)' from local governments. The new stadium is sometimes rented for a long time in exchange for the parent company's construction cost support. However, Jamsil and Sajik Stadium are rented by LG-Doosan's joint operation headquarters and Lotte every two to three years, respectively.

In the past, Daegu Civic Stadium Baseball Stadium (grade E in 2006 and opened in 1948) was the only baseball stadium with a safety diagnosis risk rating. At that time, KBO and Samsung clubs took reinforcement measures such as supporting H beams inside the stadium, including corridors, and pushed ahead with the league. Fortunately, there was no accident, but looking back, it was dangerous.

The KBO League SSG and Doosan played at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 23rd. the opening two games in a row. Landersfield, which has sold out for two consecutive days. Incheon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.23/

In the past, Gwangju Mudeung Baseball Stadium (opened in 1965) or the existing Cheongju Baseball Stadium (opened in 1979, in its 47th year), there were difficulties such as ground problems, indoor practice grounds, and lack of convenience facilities, but there were no serious safety diagnosis problems. The above Uijeongbu Gymnasium also had a problem with the risk of roof collapse, not the facility frame.

Rather, the point that the 10 clubs should pay attention to is the possibility of accidents with attachments or exterior materials as in the NC Park case.

In particular, some point out that the more new the building, the higher the indoor ceiling for a sense of openness, which may be more dangerous. In the case of existing stadiums such as Jamsil and Sajik, the proportion of outdoor spaces is high and the height of the ceiling is low, so there is a limit to attaching decorations.

The KBO League exhibition game between Hanwha and Samsung held at Hanwha Life Ball Park in Daejeon on the 17th. Hanwha Life Ball Park, which sold out 11,000 seats. Daejeon = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2025.03.17/

On the other hand, in the case of new stadiums, the ratio of indoor spaces is high for both spectators and players, and there are relatively many decorations and attachments, ranging from hanging from the ceiling to the type of attachment to walls or columns. Even if it is not necessarily a metal attachment, it can be dangerous if it falls from a high place.

It should not be repeated that a fan who visits the ballpark with excitement again has an unfortunate accident. This is why each club needs to take thorough safety measures and re-inspection for baseball fans.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.