Lee Jung-hoo → Ahn Woo-jin → Cho Sang-woo → Kim Hye-sung's serial departure is the director's fault? Not a voluntary resignation, but a statement of dismissal...17 Season One Club Man Hong Won-ki's Bitter Farewell

Jul 14, 2025

Lee Jung-hoo celebrating Hong Won-ki's 100th win in 2022. Sports Chosun DB

KBO League Kiwoom and Doosan at Gocheok Dome on the 1st. Kiwoom manager Hong Won-ki is answering questions from reporters. Gocheok =Reporter Song Jeong-heon@sportschosun.com/2025.06.01/

It's not even a voluntary resignation, it's 'Dismissal from office'. I feel bitter about my last step toward leaving the team together for 17 years as a one-club man.

Kiwoom club notified Hong Won-ki, general manager Ko Hyung-wook, and head coach Kim Chang-hyun of the dismissal on the 14th. From the first game of the second half against the Samsung Lions, which starts on the 17th, Seol Jong-jin, head coach of the Futures (2nd division), will serve as the acting head coach of the first division.

Farewell to the head coach is mostly replaced by the club. However, only the form is often in the form of voluntary resignation. This is the last courtesy. Former Doosan Bears coach Lee Seung-yeop, who became the first head coach to put down the baton this year, also left the club after voluntarily resigning.

However, Kiwoom was firm. 'Dismissal ' Not only coach Hong Won-ki, but also general manager Ko Hyung-wook and head coach Kim Chang-hyun blew the leadership of the front office and the coaches at once.

Coach Hong Won-ki has been at the helm of Kiwoom for five years since 2021. He succeeded in fall baseball for the first two years in a row, and especially in 2022, in his second year, he played a great game with SSG Landers, who were trying to win the Wire to Wire after advancing to the Korean Series.

Director Hong Won-ki high-fives with Kim Hye-sung. Sports Chosun DB

However, Kiwoom has not been out of the bottom of the ranking table since 2023. This year, he barely managed to keep his winning rate in the 30% range (0.307, 27 wins, 3 draws and 61 losses) in the first half of the year, and is likely to be in last place for the third consecutive year.

As it is the last year of the contract, it is expected to be replaced at the end of the season or to give up renewing the contract after the season. However, contrary to expectations, the replacement was made during the All-Star break.

As a head coach, it is difficult to avoid responsibility for poor performance. However, it is questionable whether director Hong Won-ki is solely responsible.

After the 2020 season, Kim Ha-sung and Lee Jung-hoo (entering to the U.S.), Ahn Woo-jin (entering to the U.S.), Cho Sang-woo (trade), and Kim Hye-sung (entering to the U.S.) left the team one after another, making the lineup full of holes. From the best star players in franchise history to leading hitters, pitchers, aces, finishes, and captains, no one has a light name.

There is no one who doesn't know that Kiwoom's active entry into the U.S. is the club's intention. Cho Sang-woo's trade was a cash-strapped deal. He was the head coach who silently led the team in a difficult situation. The recruitment of veterans such as Lee Hyung-jong, Won Jong-hyun, Choi Joo-hwan and Lee Won-seok, who expected to compensate for repeated power losses, also fell short of expectations.

Kiwoom Ahn Woo-jin in military service. Sports Chosun DB

This year alone, which is on the verge of losing 100 games for the first time in its history, the rebuilding plan that put inexperienced young batters at the forefront, such as Puig and Cardinez, the overly young starters leading to Kim Yoon-ha and Jung Hyun-woo, and Jeon Tae-hyun, Heo Jun-seo, and Won Sung-joon, failed.

Coach Hong Won-ki cannot avoid the responsibility of foreign player management and season plan. However, with the second half still left, should it have been an urgent priority to defeat Coach Hong Won-ki first.

This is a relationship that began during the Hyundai Unicorns (2006-2007), who were active before the Heroes. He has worked as a first-team coach for 16 years, starting with the first-team running coach in 2009 when we were the Heroes, from head coach to baton in 2020. This year was the last year of the contract anyway.

Kiwoom-LG match held at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on the 10th. Kiwoom won 4-3. Coach Hong Won-ki is welcoming the players. Jamsil = Reporter Jung Jae-geun cjg@sportschosun.com /2025.7.10/

Coach Hong Won-ki has recorded a total of 667 games over the past five years, 293 wins, 15 draws and 359 losses (4309 wins).

General manager Ko Hyung-wook has been with Kiwoom since 2021, the same as manager Hong Won-ki's term. Head coach Kim Chang-hyun served as the acting coach in 2020 before Hong Won-ki, starting with the Korea Power Analysis Institute in 2013, and lived as a Heroes for 13 years until this year. But all three of them left the team side by side.

This article was translated by Naver AI translator.