KBO champions Landers caught in meddling controversy

Barely a month removed from their historic championship run in South Korean baseball, the SSG Landers should still be basking in the glory of their title.

Instead, they find themselves mired in a front office controversy this week. Angered fans have been demanding an explanation from the club's public-facing owner regarding speculation that a person with no direct ties to the team has been running the show behind the scenes.

This year, the Landers became the first team in Korea Baseball Organization history to spend an entire regular season in first place. They earned a direct trip to the Korean Series, where they defeated the Kiwoom Heroes in six games for the title. It was the franchise's first championship as the Landers under SSG's ownership, after winning four titles as the SK Wyverns.

What should have been a fun-filled offseason for the Landers, though, took a turn for the bizarre Monday when their general manager, Ryu Sun-kyu, abruptly resigned.

Ryu had been with the Wyverns/Landers franchise for over two decades, passing through departments handling public relations, baseball operations, strategic planning and marketing before rising to the GM position in 2020.

The unexpected departure of Ryu led to speculation that Shinsegae Group, the retail giant that owns the baseball team, was about to start exerting control over the baseball side of things.

When Shinsegae took the team over from SK Telecom two years ago, most baseball-related personnel, including Ryu, remained in their posts, while Shinsegae put its own people in business-related departments.

Another rumor had it that a person close with the team's owner, Shinsegae Group Vice Chairman Chung Yong-jin, had his hands on the wheel, even though he is not a Shinsegae or a Landers employee.

Kim Sung-yong, a former high school coach who had been the Landers' minor league research and development center since November 2021, was promoted to the GM post Wednesday. The aforementioned friend of Chung's is believed to have been responsible for Kim's promotion and for Ryu's departure.

Some members at online baseball fan communities started posting photos and videos of the man that they claimed was Chung's friend. In one clip, the man was shown celebrating the Landers' Korean Series title inside the team cafeteria with a champagne shower, an event typically reserved for players, coaches, club officials and their family members.

Since becoming the Landers owner, Chung has never shied away from the media spotlight and has always looked comfortable taking center stage. He earned praise for making aggressive investments to field a competitive team and for forging personal relationships with players to create a family-like atmosphere.

The 54-year-old has also engaged fans in social media in ways no other KBO club owner has in the past. Along the way, Chung has carved out an image as a down-to-earth, baseball-loving everyman who just happened to have enough money to own a team, a contrast to typical KBO owners who come across as stiff corporate executives who can't tell balls from strikes.

However, when bombarded with questions about the ongoing speculation in the comment section of a recent social media post, Chung remained silent and instead deleted the post altogether. Fans have instead gone on to comment on earlier posts by Chung, who, as of Thursday morning, had not taken down those posts.

It wasn't until late Wednesday afternoon that the Landers had their first official response to the situation, predictably denying any involvement by Chung's friend in recent decisions.

In a statement, Landers CEO Min Kyung-sam said the new GM was appointed "through a proper decision-making process."

"Allegations raised in some quarters that someone from outside the organization wielded influence are not true," Min said. "Since the change of ownership, we have been consulting with people from many different sectors, including baseball and business management. The person in question is one of those figures, and he is in absolutely no position to be involved in our personnel decisions or baseball operations."

The Landers seem to be stuck in a PR war they can't win. Their statement may not be enough to assuage disgruntled and disenchanted fans.

Some have planned a three-day protest, starting Thursday, in front of Shinsegae's headquarters in Seoul. They said they would rent trucks equipped with digital screens to display messages of their displeasure with Chung and Shinsegae Group. (Yonhap)