NC Dinos say no relocation

A South Korean expansion baseball team on Wednesday shot down rumors that it would relocate to another city in protest of its hometown’s decision to build a new stadium at a remote location.

In a press release, the NC Dinos, based in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, said they aren’t going anywhere.

“Our ballclub is only thinking about playing baseball for fans in Changwon,” the team said. “Presently, we’re not considering moving to another city.”

The Dinos will join the top-flight Korea Baseball Organization in the upcoming season as the ninth team. They’re the first expansion team in the KBO since 1991.

The team’s future became a subject of much controversy in January when Changwon, an industrial city some 400 kilometers southeast of Seoul, announced that it will build a new ballpark on the plot formerly occupied by the Army College, south of downtown Changwon. The city had three candidate sites for the new stadium, but critics charged that it chose the least accessible location.

When the Dinos received the green light to join the KBO in March 2011, Changwon pledged to build a new ballpark with at least 25,000 seats by 2016. Until the new stadium is built, the Dinos will play their home games at the recently renovated Masan Stadium, which can seat 20,000 fans. (Yonhap News)