The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) is holding its second official KBO funeral for a prominent figure in the sport.
The KBO headquarters announced that the funeral for former manager Baek In-cheon, who passed away today (the 15th), will be conducted as an official KBO funeral.
The funeral committee chairman is veteran baseball figure Kim Soshik, former vice president of the Korea Baseball Association.
This follows funeral guidelines prepared by the KBO several years ago.
The KBO funeral guidelines were established to stipulate support regarding KBO-hosted official funerals when baseball figures who have made significant contributions to the development of professional baseball pass away.
The eligible recipients for a KBO funeral include players, managers, KBO and club executives and staff, and baseball affiliates who have made major contributions to the development of professional baseball, subject to review by the Funeral Review Committee and approval by the KBO Commissioner.
For managers, the KBO set the eligibility criteria for a KBO funeral based on factors such as the number of KBO League games managed and international tournament championship titles; for players, criteria include the number of regular-season Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards and pitching-hitting records.
Additionally, individuals who are comprehensively judged to have made significant contributions to the promotion and development of professional baseball can also receive a KBO funeral following review by the Funeral Review Committee.
Upon the recommendation of the Funeral Review Committee, the KBO Commissioner forms a funeral committee consisting of up to 20 members, with the bereaved family and the KBO jointly serving as chief mourners.
If the bereaved family does not want a KBO funeral, it is held as a baseball community funeral or a family funeral.
Considering the deceased's lifetime contributions, the KBO provides a certain amount of financial support for funeral expenses whether it is a KBO funeral, a baseball community funeral, or a family funeral.
Following this procedure, the KBO held its first-ever KBO funeral in September 2025 for the late Lee Yong-il, former acting KBO commissioner, who passed away after battling chronic illness.
Kim Eung-yong, former president of the Korea Baseball Softball Association, served as the funeral committee chairman.
The late former acting commissioner Lee was a leading figure in the creation of professional baseball, appointed as the KBO's inaugural secretary-general in December 1981, and played a pivotal role in the launch of professional baseball the following year.
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