Is the head of the scout team the first-ever to be fired, and the head of the coach who voluntarily resigned an advisor? SSG, again, controversy over personnel appointments

May 13, 2025

김성용 전 단장. Sports Chosun DB

It's controversial again. Shinsegae baseball team SSG Landers has been embroiled in negative public opinion again over personnel management issues.

SSG Landers recently conducted an internal appointment. Former general manager Kim Sung-yong, who was the head of the team in 2023, returned to the scout team in a surprise move.

Kim Sung-yong, head of the scout team, officially began his work on the 1st. It's a pretty unconventional greeting. It is difficult to find a case in other teams for Jeon to return to the team after two years, and to take the position as a scout team leader, a member of the front office.

In particular, the reason for the unconventional personnel appointment is the decisive reason for leaving the club when he was the head of the team. Kim Sung-yong, head of the scout team, was virtually dismissed due to various noises, including the appointment of a new coaching staff and the transfer of the second draft during discussions about Kim Kang-min's retirement.

Among them, Kim Kang-min's transfer brought a huge aftermath. Kim Kang-min, who was discussing the timing of his retirement with the club, was excluded from the second draft protected list and was nominated by the Hanwha Eagles at a time when the conversation was not exactly concluded. After much consideration, Kim Kang-min decided to continue his active career at Hanwha, but SSG fans poured out a huge amount of criticism toward the club. At that time, it was a decisive moment for the general manager to leave the club.

Kim Sung-yong (left) at the inauguration ceremony of director Lee Sung-yong. Sports Chosun DB

Rumors of former general manager Kim Sung-yong's return to Landers, who later returned to the wild, have been circulating in the baseball world for a few months, and the appointment of the scout team leader has become a reality. Fans' public opinion is somewhat negative as news of Jeon's return to the scout team leader was announced through the media. The noises at the time of leaving the team have not even been completely forgotten, and many say they do not understand the decision to return to the same club at the team level.

The controversy does not end there. It has been confirmed that former Futures coach Park Jung-tae, who voluntarily resigned not long after taking office due to his drunk driving history, is serving as a nurturing advisor.

SSG announced the appointment of Park Jung-tae as head coach of Futures on December 31 last year, but announced his voluntary resignation on January 24 this year after being criticized for his drunk driving history and blood ties with Choo Shin-soo, the team's assistant manager.

When he announced his voluntary resignation, Park said, `After the appointment, I heard the concerns of fans and baseball officials. I thought there was still something missing to return to the field, and I don't want to cause any concern to the fans and the club over this related issue. I will consider the role I can play for the development of the KBO League in a low position in the future" he once stated his intention.

박정태 전 감독. Sports Chosun DB

However, a few months ago, rumors began to circulate that coach Park Jung-tae often appeared in SSG uniforms at the Futures League site. There were rumors in the baseball world that he voluntarily resigned but did not leave the team.

As a result of confirmation, SSG signed a new contract with former coach Park Jung-tae as a nurturing advisor. Apart from the field, it means that he was assigned to give advice on player development and amateur player scouting.

However, many say that they do not understand this either. It was only a few months ago that he announced his voluntary resignation in the face of a storm of public opinion, but it is not easy to persuade him to take on a role within the club less than a month or two after resigning from the controversial person.

SSG continues to be a communicationless communication and incomprehensible greetings are repeated. It is entirely the club's choice to recruit and decide personnel, and it can be seen that the team should be responsible for the results in the future, but this is far from the attitude that professional baseball teams should have. There have even been voices of concern within the club for months, but personnel appointments were eventually enforced.

Former general manager Kim Sung-yong and adviser Park Jung-tae, who returned as scouting team leaders, are certainly veteran baseball players with extensive experience and experience in the professional field. But there are certain mistakes. The club is also in a hurry to hide it by hissing, not explaining it clearly first while making a difficult choice to understand. In the end, it is obvious that it will face a stronger aftermath as it becomes known to the outside world.

This is not the first controversy over personnel appointments at SSG. It has been repeated since the club name was changed. Controversy began when former general manager Kim Sung-yong took office, and the appointment of Park Jung-tae as the second-tier coach and their return have continued.

The question mark does not disappear as to whether the once-troubled relationships should have been called back at this point. Fans are already fed up with the club's administration due to similar controversies that have been repeated. It is SSG Landers, which causes unnecessary controversy.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.