Gwangju City to Replace Champions Field Seats: "Enjoy in Comfort"

Complete Replacement of 16,294 Seats by August
Larger Seat Base, Backrest, and Cup Holder for Enhanced Comfort

Replacement work is underway for the aging spectator seats at Kia Champions Field. Photo by Gwangju City

The Gwangju City Government announced on May 8 that it will carry out a complete replacement of the aging spectator seats at Gwangju Kia Champions Field (Champions Field) by August.

Champions Field, which was completed in 2015, has faced calls for seat replacement due to the aging of its general spectator seats. In response, the city signed a "mutual cooperation agreement for the development of sports culture in the local community" with the KIA Tigers in October of last year, pledging to renovate the general spectator seats to provide a more comfortable environment for watching games.

From March to April, the city produced molds to fit the existing seat frames and finalized them after on-site testing. To ensure greater safety and convenience, the size of the seat base, backrest, and cup holder has been increased compared to the previous seats. The design and color remain unchanged.

The replacement was originally scheduled to begin in April, but due to stadium inspections following the Changwon NC Park accident, the KIA Tigers' away games originally planned for Changwon NC Park were replaced by home games, causing a slight delay. As a result, the replacement work began on May 7.

The seat replacement will start with the Tigers Family Seats and K5 Seats on the third base side, followed by the K8 and K9 sections and the central table seats on the third base side, then the K9, K8, K5, and Tigers Family Seats on the first base side, and finally the EV seats located on the top level.

About 200 seats will be replaced per day, with all 16,294 general spectator seats being completely renewed. To minimize inconvenience for KIA fans and spectators, the work will be carried out on non-game days, ensuring that there will be no disruption to viewing or game operations.

Kim Seongbae, Director of Culture and Sports, stated, "For the convenience of spectators, we have increased the size of the seat backrest, seat base, and cup holder compared to the previous seats. We hope you enjoy KIA baseball in the new, refreshed seats," adding, "In celebration of this year's 'Visit Gwangju Year,' Gwangju City will do its utmost to lay the groundwork for its leap forward as a sports city."