Kim Tae-ryong, the longest-serving general manager in professional baseball with the Doosan Bears, stepped down yesterday (October 19).
Kim, who had served as Doosan's general manager for 16 years since 2011, took a step back from the front line to take on an advisory role for the club.
The former general manager joined the OB Bears in July 1990 and worked in the front office for 36 years, spending the longest time at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, which is now set to disappear into history.
We sat down with him—a living witness to both the Doosan franchise and Jamsil Stadium—to hear vivid history and behind-the-scenes stories.
(Story by Choi Hee-jin | Reported by Yoo Byung-min | Video by Yoo Dong-hyuk | Edited by Joo Hyun | Produced by Sports News Department)
While staying in touch like that, one OB Bears employee resigned, and right around that time, I also resigned from Lotte. So hearing the news of my departure, former President Park Yong-min said, 'Ah, if it's him, bring him in for an interview.' "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"We went to our Younggwang Building in Jongno,"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" exchanged greetings with the president and the administrative manager, and then suddenly "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"what was it, that résumé"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" they told me to write a résumé. I said, 'Wait, I just came to have lunch, let me write this next time,' but they said, 'Just write it down for now.' And that's how my journey with the Bears began."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300DF":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E0","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E0":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E1","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"03:36"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E1":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E2","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"My first day of work was July 21 (1990), which was the day I wrote the résumé, and I think I started going to work right from that day."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E2":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E4","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E4":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E5","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD6306300E3","ch":[{"t":"\u003CB-roll: Scenes from OB vs. LG games in the early 1990s, footage of LG Twins winning the 1994 Korean Series\u003E"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E5":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E6","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"04:18"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E6":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E7","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Q) Atmosphere at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in the 1990s"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E7":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E8","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"At Jamsil Baseball Stadium, our performance wasn't very good back then.
"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"Performance..."}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" One year after joining the sales department, General Manager Kyung Chang-ho said they didn't have an on-site manager, telling me, 'If you serve as manager for about two years—just two years—I will reassign you.'
It was supposed to be two years, but I ended up working as the first-team manager for eight years.
During those eight years, LG had such a great roster that against LG, in a single year, "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"about, well,"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" the number of times we won "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"was maybe around five times,"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" we only won about five games a year. At that time, while there are many young female fans now, back then there were mostly adult fans.
When LG played at home, chants of 'Doosan idiots, Doosan idiots' from the stands would ring in my ears even after I got home. Those were the times.
So our pride was truly hurt.
Thinking about how we could beat LG, we came up with 'Let's Understand LG.' "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"'Let's Understand LG.'"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" And building the strongest squad. Our initial goal was 'Let's Understand LG.'
To beat LG, we had to know LG.
Among our staff, our on-site team's operational plan was 'Let's Understand LG.'"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E8":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300E9","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300E9":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300EA","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD6306300E3","ch":[{"t":"\u003CB-roll: Footage of OB winning the 1995 Korean Series\u003E"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300EA":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300EB","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"06:02"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300EB":{"np":"000001A152E30BD6306300EC","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Q) Meaning of the 1995 championship?"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD6306300EC":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300ED","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"We won in 1982.
At Dongdaemun Stadium.
After that, it was our first title since 1982, and because there was the team walkout incident in 1994, I still remember that the 1995 championship at Jamsil held immense significance."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300ED":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300EE","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300EE":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300EF","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD6306300E3","ch":[{"t":"\u003CB-roll: Rowdy fans in the 1990s... B-roll footage from reporter Yoo Byung-min's report\u003E"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300EF":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F0","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"06:42"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F0":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F1","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Q) The hostile crowd atmosphere and fan culture in the 1990s"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F1":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F2","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"At Jamsil, our dugout was always on the first-base side and the locker room was behind it, so I always stood by in the manager's office behind it.
Because if something was thrown onto the field, we had to clear it quickly.
Whether cans were flying or pigs' feet were flying, we always had to clear them before play could continue. There were even times when fans tried to overturn trash cans and throw them."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F2":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F3","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F3":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F4","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"07:23"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F4":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F5","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"At one point, with the sudden baseball boom in 1995, attendance surged. Especially during games against Haitai, people who hadn't bought tickets would push against the back iron gate—that was the first time I realized how powerful human force could be.
As crowds shoved against the iron gate, it actually broke.
So the measure the club took afterwards was inserting large iron bars across the iron gate so that even if people pushed, they couldn't force their way in and the gate wouldn't break. We even had to take steps like that."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F5":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F6","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F6":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F7","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"08:36"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F7":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F8","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Q) Incidents and controversies in the 1990s"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F8":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300F9","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Back then, as manager, I was practically the point of contact for Gangnam Police Station, Songpa Police Station, and Suseo Police Station.
"}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"The players..."}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Whether players were involved in drunk driving or got into trouble with fans inside the stadium, I rushed over.
I ran out there, knew almost all the police officials and traffic police officers in front by face, resolved things, and then went home. "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"That kind of..."}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" To resolve things with them, you first had to go to the scene and explain everything, "}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300DD","ch":[{"t":"matter..."}]},{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":" and since the on-site team manager knew the details best, by the time I finished explaining, it was often past midnight when I finally headed home."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300F9":{"np":"000001A152E30BD7306300FA","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD7306300FA":{"np":"000001A152E30BD8306300FB","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Q) Which player is most memorable from the 1990s?"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD8306300FB":{"np":"000001A152E30BD8306300FD","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"09:58"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD8306300FD":{"np":"000001A152E30BD8306300FE","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD8306300FC","ch":[{"t":"There were just so many players causing trouble in the 1990s."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD8306300FE":{"np":"000001A152E30BD8306300FF","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD8306300FF":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630100","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"10:06"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630100":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630101","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD8306300FC","ch":[{"t":"Truthfully, back then, even at home, my heart would leap every time the phone rang.
"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630101":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630102","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630102":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630103","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"(Reporter Sync) Because that was before cell phones existed. "}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630103":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630104","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630104":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630105","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Yes, exactly.
Back then, you never knew what kind of incident might happen—drunk driving, an assault, or a car accident.
With all kinds of things happening, I lived in constant tension even after returning home."}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630105":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630106","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630106":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630107","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"11:10"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630107":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630108","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"Q) Doosan reborn as a powerhouse in the 2000s"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630108":{"np":"000001A152E30BD830630109","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"When I first joined the club as a manager,"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD830630109":{"np":"000001A152E30BD83063010A","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":""}]}]},"000001A152E30BD83063010A":{"np":"000001A152E30BD83063010B","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"11:19"}]}]},"000001A152E30BD83063010B":{"np":"000001A152E30BD93063010C","id":-2147483648,"pp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D8","si":"01DD5F9496240BDA00001561","bf":0,"ru":[{"cp":"000001A152E30BD5306300D7","ch":[{"t":"the players had a negative attitude. "}]}]}]}
...toward the club.
So while working as team manager, I wondered, "Huh? Why are the players always so negative whenever they speak?" Negatively.
"That's just how the front office is."
"That's just what the club does."
So I started with that—trying to change their mindset with a positive spirit.
"Ah, I need to turn these players positive."
"If they don't change positively, there is no future here."
So when I first started as team manager, I shifted our way of thinking to be positive.
As I made that change, manager Kim In-sik also had a positive way of thinking.
"Hey, let things take their natural course."
"Ah, if it rains, we just don't play."
"If it doesn't rain, we play the game."
Because a manager who operated with such an exceptionally positive mindset arrived, it was a huge help for me as team manager in turning the players around to a positive mindset.
Through that process, the team began uniting on its own and teamwork gradually came together. Moving beyond "let's learn about LG," from that point on, it became about building the strongest roster.
For us.
"Next, let's build a prestigious franchise."
With that theme in mind, we made progress step by step. <B-roll: Doosan's 2000 Korean Series runner-up finish, Doosan's 2001 Korean Series championship> 13:02 Q) Which of the five Korean Series championships is the most memorable? Actually, in 1995 under manager Kim In-sik, the players followed him really well thanks to his positive mindset after the walkout incident, but we finished as runners-up in 2000, didn't we?
Looking at the players who finished as runners-up, they poured out all their energy to take second place in 2000, and usually teams burn out the following year.
You try hard, fall short, and then fizzle out, but in 2001, carrying that very momentum forward to win the championship made me feel, "Ah, our team has truly risen to a new level."
Watching that as a baseball man, I thought, "With this kind of strength, our team can achieve anything." <B-roll: Game footage of Tyrone Woods, Kim Dong-joo, and Shim Jeong-soo> 14:14 Q) The behind-the-scenes story of developing the 'Woo-Dong-Soo' powerhouse lineup (Woods, Kim Dong-joo, Shim Jeong-soo) At that time, Woods also came to be because manager Kim In-sik guided players with that positive mindset.
Shim Jeong-soo was born that way, too.
Kim Dong-joo had that kind of talent ever since high school.
Shim Jeong-soo played in the infield, but his arm was so strong that he couldn't make accurate throws to first base.
So manager Kim In-sik said, "Hey, put him in right field." He sent him to right field and slotted him into the 6th or 7th spot, saying, "Just let him play."
It was the same with Woods.
Woods couldn't hit breaking balls either.
After Opening Day.
"Hey, leave him alone until he adjusts." He never took the foreign player out of the lineup until he adjusted to Korea.
Then one day, he suddenly started squaring up breaking balls, and that was how Woo-Dong-Soo was born.
Manager Kim In-sik's lack of impatience.
Believing in the players.
Always being positive.
Instilling trust in the players—all of that combined made Doosan strong, I believe. <B-roll: Kim Dong-joo's out-of-the-park home run> 15:57 Q) Most memorable home run Kim Dong-joo's home run that cleared the stadium.
Another one is Woods's home run hitting the batter's eye and the scoreboard.
Those are the ones that come to mind. 16:30 Q) What prompted the transition from a slugger brigade to a 'Hustle Doo' track-and-field style? That comes down to the team's roster composition.
Player personnel.
Depending on the composition, when we had 'Woo-Dong-Soo,' it was like ssireum (traditional wrestling).
It was like heavy wrestling, and then when we played hustle baseball, it became like a track-and-field team.
It transitioned that way, being called a track-and-field squad.
It was our field staff and Kim Seung-ho, our former department head who has since left the club—Department Head Kim Seung-ho suddenly came up with the idea one day, saying, "With these players, what about 'Hustle'?"
Ideas were brought up whether someone was in PR or in operations—back then, everyone was focused on how to make this team great, because the goal was to build a prestigious franchise.
Although there were many incidents along the way.
Still, everyone worked hard in their respective roles to build a prestigious club. <B-roll: Manager Kim Tae-hyoung's appointment in late 2014, Doosan's 2015 Korean Series championship> 17:48 Q) Appointing manager Kim Tae-hyoung and building the Doosan dynasty At that time, manager Kim Tae-hyoung actually had a chance to become manager earlier, but it was delayed once.
When Kim Jin-wook became manager.
Then, when I met with Kim Tae-hyoung, even though he was outside the organization, he had completely grasped our team.
When we had a conversation.
So initially, there was talk of having Kim Tae-hyoung serve as bench coach under manager Song Il-soo.
"If we replace the manager mid-season with the bench coach because things go poorly, that will cause even greater turmoil for the team, so let's just appoint him directly as manager."
I suggested that to President Kim Seung-young.
Kim Tae-hyoung had joined the club as a player during my first year or so working as team manager, so our chemistry was great—we could understand each other just by locking eyes.
We had a relationship where he could easily bring suggestions directly to me. 19:25 Q) When Jamsil Baseball Stadium looks the most beautiful For me, it's at night, after winning a game and the crowd empties out, when that silence falls—when the silence settles over Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
When there are 30,000 spectators, it feels like this frenzied show, and then when everyone suddenly exits and silence takes over, that's when I think, "Ah, this frenzied spectacle has come to an end." 20:26 Q) Relationship with the LG Twins, 'two families under one roof' Actually, sharing the stadium brought a lot of inconveniences.
At the same time, being together sparked rival competitiveness, helping both sides grow.
In the past, unlike now where players take great care of their conditioning in the free agency era and such things don't happen, whenever we played each other, there was tremendous tension.
[Reporter Soundbite] It was war, wasn't it? It felt somewhat like that.
The players had their side.
The front offices had theirs.
During the postseason, we'd agree to lower the loudspeaker volume, but if they set theirs to level 7, we'd crank ours to level 8.
There were many such moments of unspeakable, touch-and-go tension between us. 23:14 Q) Feelings when the decision to demolish Jamsil Baseball Stadium was made I witnessed Jamsil Baseball Stadium's completion in 1982, and even saw manager Ryu Joong-il hit the ballpark's first-ever home run back then. 23:32 When they said it was going to disappear, at first...
Ah...
This is...
Ah... [Reporter Soundbite] A feeling of deep sorrow and regret? 24:01 Yeah...
"Whenever I came to work here, it always felt like going home—that very moment of heading to Jamsil.
When our results were poor, I went there thinking about building a good team.
When our results were good, I always thought, 'Man, I hope we can win the championship this year.'
With that mindset, to think that the place I frequented like my own home will now be gone—I thought, 'What is this? Where do I go now?' It felt like that. I had those kinds of thoughts."
24:58
"[Jamsil Baseball Stadium] is my entire life. After finishing school, I joined a baseball organization, and it has been 36 years of my life.
7 years with my previous club.
After spending such a tremendous, long time living only at this ballpark, to hear that this stadium will be gone... It feels like I've lost something."
<B-roll: Sketch of General Manager Kim Tae-ryong sitting in the manager's office, from 02:03 of N20261012V18841>
26:31
Q) Which space at Jamsil Baseball Stadium do you cherish the most?
"For me, it is the manager's room in front of the locker room at Jamsil Stadium.
Because I started there, for eight years in that room, I encouraged the players coming and going, pushed them at times, and talked with them while watching the TV monitor. Having worked as a salaried employee at this ballpark for 36 years, I believe everything is in that room.
I still love that room today."
28:45
Q) What is your message to Jamsil Baseball Stadium?
"I can't help but be grateful. I joined the company as an entry-level employee on July 21, 1990, and rose to team manager, department head, managing director, executive managing director, and even vice president.
The reason I love this ballpark even more is that, as someone from a baseball background, I rose from the very bottom to that position. When baseball wasn't going well, there were sad moments—times when I turned away and cried, and when players got into trouble, there were many truly heartbreaking moments. But behind all that, I feel grateful that I was able to grow from the very bottom to where I am today right here."
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