The people who declare their retirement in a surprise move, are you returning to Gocheok Dome where your soul is gloomy? Players and coaches aren't working. How?

Nov 04, 2025

The people who declare their retirement in a surprise move, are you returning to Gocheok Dome where your soul is gloomy? Players and coaches aren't working. How?
Sportschosun DB



Park Byung-ho can come back to Kiwoom when he's not a player or a coach?

Park Byung-ho, a legend who made a mark in the KBO League's home run history, announced his retirement on the 3rd.

Park Byung-ho rose to stardom even before joining the professional league by hitting an unprecedented four-base hit at Dongdaemun Stadium in 2004 when he was a high school student. Naturally, he received the LG Twins' first nomination in the 2005 rookie draft and was noted as LG's next big shot.




The people who declare their retirement in a surprise move, are you returning to Gocheok Dome where your soul is gloomy? Players and coaches aren't working. How?
Sportschosun DB
But baseball at LG was not easy. It was difficult to use Jamsil, which was too wide, as a home, and it was not easy to play baseball while watching this and that at LG, a popular club.

There was a big turning point in Park Byung-ho's baseball life, and it was the 2011 transfer of Nexen, the predecessor of the Kiwoom Heroes. At that time, Nexen actually went through a re-establishment after acquiring the Hyundai Unicorns, and used Mokdong Stadium, which was narrow for professional baseball, as its home. This became a great move for Park Byung-ho. Starting with 31 home runs in 2012, the year after the trade, he hit 37-52-53 home runs until 2015. I fully opened my eyes to baseball, and I was full of confidence.

The Minnesota Twins of the U.S. Major League Baseball recognized Park Byung-ho's ability and recruited him, and also hit a home run in the big league. Even after returning to Nexen after two years in the U.S., Park Byung-ho showed off his robustness by hitting 43 home runs in the 2018 season. There was no gain at Mokdong Stadium. When Park Byung-ho returned, the home stadium was changed to Gocheok Sky Dome. Gocheok Dome has a reputation as a stadium where it is difficult to hit home runs.




The people who declare their retirement in a surprise move, are you returning to Gocheok Dome where your soul is gloomy? Players and coaches aren't working. How?
Sportschosun DB
However, Park Byung-ho was also unable to go against the passage of time. Since the 2022 season, the number of home runs has dropped to the early 20s, and the bigger problem is that the batting average, which was in the mid-30s in its heyday, has fallen to the early 20s.

As a result, the Heroes, who changed from Nexen to Kiwoom, chose to say goodbye to Park Byung-ho, who qualified as an FA, and Park Byung-ho moved to KT Wiz in a surprise move ahead of the 2022 season, hitting 35 home runs, winning the home run title and reviving. But that was the last time. After that, he tried to revive through the Samsung Lions, but his destructive power gradually diminished and he decided to retire after this season.

There was a prospect that he would try to extend his active career because he could regain his FA status, but Park Byung-ho quickly accepted reality and decided to design his next life. He made his name as a home run hitter who will go down in history, with the most six home runs in history and the first two consecutive years of hitting 50 home runs.




The people who declare their retirement in a surprise move, are you returning to Gocheok Dome where your soul is gloomy? Players and coaches aren't working. How?
Sportschosun DB
First of all, it doesn't seem to be in baseball entertainment. During his active career, he always expressed his intention for a leader. After announcing his retirement, "I will stand on the ground in another way." Teaching his juniors, he said, "I'll remain a baseball lover."

That's how it's connected to Kiwoom, my former team. Agugye predicts that Park Byung-ho will join hands with Kiwoom again. Park Byung-ho also had a great affection for Kiwoom, and Kiwoom still hasn't forgotten that Park Byung-ho exists. Park Byung-ho and the Heroes are inseparable. Mok-dong and Gocheok Dome are the stages where Park Byung-ho's soul lies.

But of course, he is not a player because he retired. It is ambiguous to say that he will go as a coach, but Kiwoom officially announced a piece of the coaching staff for the 2026 season on the day when Park Byung-ho's retirement was announced. There was no name for Park Byung-ho. If he had been in the process of coordinating with Park Byung-ho as a coach, he would have postponed this announcement.

The people who declare their retirement in a surprise move, are you returning to Gocheok Dome where your soul is gloomy? Players and coaches aren't working. How?
Sportschosun DB
If you guess, you can take on the roles of power reinforcement coordinators and general manager assistants, which are common in other clubs recently. Kiwoom may create a new role or title. I don't wear a uniform, but it's a place where I can always communicate with the field. Kiwoom said in response, `There is nothing I can tell you in detail yet.' Even so, he seemed to be unable to deny the possibility of a reunion with Park Byung-ho at all.

Park Byung-ho took off his uniform, but will he be able to come back to his friendly home.





This article was translated by Naver AI translator.