Ryu Hyun-jin Attends 13th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony for Coach Choi Dong-won and Pays Tribute with Floral Offering

Ryu Hyun-jin Participates in Mentor Memorial Event for the First Time in 13 Years
Memorial Event Also Held at Lotte Giants vs. Hanwha Eagles Game

Ryu Hyun-jin paying tribute. Photo by Yonhap News

The 13th anniversary memorial event for the late Director Choi Dong-won was held on the 14th in Busan. Former Director Choi was the pitcher who single-handedly secured four wins in the 1984 KBO Korean Series, leading his team to their first championship. Nicknamed the 'Iron Arm' and 'Steel Fist,' he became a symbol of the Lotte Giants. He is also well-known as the mentor of Hanwha Eagles player Ryu Hyun-jin.

Ryu Hyun-jin participated in the memorial event held in front of the statue of former Director Choi, located in the plaza of Busan Sajik Stadium. This was Ryu's first time attending a memorial event for Director Choi. From 2006, when Ryu had just graduated from high school and entered the professional league, he was coached by former Director Choi, who was a first-team coach for Hanwha. As Hanwha's pitching coach, Director Choi recognized Ryu's potential from the spring camp and strongly recommended to then-manager Kim In-sik that Ryu be used as a starting pitcher.

In his debut year, Ryu recorded 18 wins, 6 losses, 1 save, and an earned run average of 2.23, earning both the Rookie of the Year and KBO League Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards. He grew to become a representative pitcher of Korean baseball.

The statue of former Director Choi Dong-won was erected on September 14, 2013, the same year Ryu Hyun-jin debuted in Major League Baseball. Therefore, Ryu, who played in the Major Leagues until last year, was unable to attend his mentor's memorial service. Ahead of this season, Ryu returned to the KBO League after 13 years. The Choi Dong-won Memorial Foundation proposed that he attend the memorial service, and Ryu reportedly accepted the invitation gladly.

The memorial event for former Director Choi was also held during the game between the Lotte Giants and Hanwha Eagles at Busan Sajik Stadium at 2 p.m. that day. Before the game started, a tribute video for Director Choi was shown on the scoreboard, followed by a moment of silence shared by the players and the audience.

Meanwhile, former Director Choi is known not only as a representative player of Korean baseball in the 1980s but also as a baseball figure who led the establishment of the Players Association to protect professional baseball players' rights despite facing disadvantages. After retiring, he worked as a politician, broadcaster, and baseball coach before passing away from colorectal cancer in 2011.