'Sincerely Praying for the Rest in Peace of Incheon Baseball' What Happened at Munhak Stadium?

Fans Angry Over Kim Kang-min's Transfer from SSG to Hanwha
SSG Team Excludes Kim Kang-min from Protected Players List

A growing number of condolence wreaths are being piled up around Incheon Munhak Stadium, arousing curiosity among passersby.

It has been confirmed that these wreaths were placed by fans of the professional baseball team SSG Landers. The fans are protesting with 'condolence wreaths' against the club's response to Kim Kang-min's transfer to the Hanwha Eagles, despite him being a former SSG player.

Condolence wreaths installed around Incheon Munhak Stadium.
Photo by Yonhap News

On the 29th, around 50 condolence wreaths expressing fans' protests against the club were consecutively installed around Incheon Munhak Stadium, SSG’s home ground. The wreaths bore messages such as "Sincerely mourning the soul of Incheon baseball," along with phrases expressing dissatisfaction like "The two years that rolled in tarnished the 23 years," and "A baseball team that should not exist in this world."

Condolence wreaths installed around Incheon Munhak Stadium.
Photo by Yonhap News

There were also demands for strict measures against the club officials, with messages like "All responsible parties resign," "Kim Kang-min’s number retired permanently," and "SSG+Front (Sseukreonteu) permanently expelled." At Kim Kang-min’s photo zone, a post-it note covering the SSG club name and displaying the former club name SK Wyverns was also attached.

SSG fans plan to guard the condolence wreaths and continue their protest for three days from that day until the 1st of next month.

Previously, Kim Kang-min joined SK Wyverns, the predecessor of SSG, in 2001 and played for the same team for 23 years. He was part of five Korean Series championships (2007, 2008, 2010, 2018, 2022) and was named the Korean Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) last year when SSG won its first-ever integrated championship.

SSG excludes Kim Kang-min from protected players list... General Manager voluntarily resigns

A handwritten letter left by Kim Kang-min, who transferred to the Hanwha Eagles.
[Photo by Hanwha Eagles]

It is known that Kim Kang-min discussed with the SSG club whether to continue his active career or retire. However, SSG composed the list of 35 protected players for the second draft mainly with promising young players, excluding Kim Kang-min. They believed that even if Kim Kang-min, who was contemplating retirement, was excluded from the protected list, the likelihood of him being selected by another team was low.

However, on the 22nd, the Hanwha Eagles called Kim Kang-min in the 4th round, 22nd overall pick of the 2024 KBO second draft, and Kim Kang-min, who had played in Incheon for 23 years, decided to continue his career with Hanwha. Before the draft, Hanwha appointed pitcher Jung Woo-ram as a playing coach to block other teams from selecting him, but SSG took no separate action regarding Kim Kang-min.

Regarding Kim Kang-min’s transfer incident, former SSG Landers General Manager Kim Sung-yong is reported to have recently expressed his intention to voluntarily resign.