'Iron Arm' Late Choi Dong-won Becomes First Baseball Player Selected as Korean Sports Hero

The Korean Sport & Olympic Committee (KSOC) announced on November 4 that the late Choi Dong-won, a legendary figure in South Korean baseball, has been selected as the 2026 Korean Sports Hero.

The KSOC held its 5th Sports Hero Selection Committee meeting on October 27 to review three final candidates: Park Joo-bong, Choi Dong-won, and Hwang Young-jo. Following deliberations, Choi was chosen as this year's sports hero.

Choi secured four wins in the 1984 Korean Series, leading the Lotte Giants to their first-ever championship in franchise history. He also had a stellar career as a national team member, including victories at the 1977 Intercontinental Cup and the 1982 Baseball World Championship.

Over eight professional baseball seasons, he appeared in 248 games, recording 103 wins, 26 saves, 1,019 strikeouts, and a 2.46 earned run average (ERA).

After retiring, he contributed to the development of baseball by working as a coach, commentator, Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) game operations official, and national team scout, before passing away from colon cancer in 2011.

The Korean Sports Hero program was established in 2011 by the KSOC to select and honor legendary heroes who brightened modern and contemporary sports history.

Choi is the first baseball player ever to be selected as a Korean Sports Hero, and only the third team-sport athlete following Park Shin-ja (basketball, 2015) and Cha Bum-kun (football, 2017).

The KSOC plans to hold an induction ceremony for the Korean Sports Hero in December to commemorate his achievements.

(Photo provided by Lotte Giants, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.