Ulsan Whales' Ko Hyo-jun Retires: "I Let Go Without Regrets... Will Continue as a Baseball Man"

"I felt that I had shown everything I could as a player, and I reached a point where I could let go without any regrets."

Ko Hyo-jun (43) of the Ulsan Whales, who has concluded his 25-year professional career, explained the reason for his decision to retire on the 28th.

Ulsan held a retirement ceremony for Ko before their home game against the Lotte Giants in the Futures (minor) League at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium on this day.

"I truly loved baseball, and I am happy to be able to leave with a smile," Ko said during his retirement remarks. "I have spent 25 years looking only at baseball. There were many good moments and difficult ones, but thanks to the fans, I was a happy player until the very end. As a baseball man, I will continue to live a life that contributes to the development of Korean baseball."

It was his family that made him realize his retirement first.

"The first person who came to mind was my daughter. When I told her about my retirement, my seven-year-old daughter was very sad," Ko said. "She always had a favorite team to cheer for, and she used to say that every team her dad played for was her team. Seeing that, I realized it must have been a special time for my family as well."

Ko, who began his professional career with Lotte in 2002, played for the SK Wyverns, KIA Tigers, Lotte, LG Twins, SSG Landers, and Doosan Bears before joining Ulsan for the 2026 season.

He appeared in 646 career KBO first-team games, recording 49 wins, 55 losses, 4 saves, and 65 holds with a 5.31 ERA.

This season, he pitched in 33 games for Ulsan, recording 2 wins, 2 losses, 5 saves, and 7 holds with a 2.45 ERA, setting records for the oldest player to record a win, save, and hold across both the first and second leagues.

Ko burned with passion until the end to return to the first team, pushing his fastball velocity up to 148 km/h, but he ultimately did not receive an offer from a KBO League club.

He also attempted to break the KBO League record for the oldest win (43 years, 1 month, 23 days), set by Song Jin-woo with the Hanwha Eagles, but unfortunately, he could not achieve that goal.

Still, Ko said he was happy to have had his final challenge in Ulsan.

"Even before joining Ulsan, I started with the mindset of a rookie. Despite my long career, I felt the same nervousness and excitement as if I were starting over," he recalled. "Even while participating in the Futures League, Ulsan had an atmosphere that pursued 'winning baseball.' I was able to play baseball very happily."

Reflecting on his 25-year career, Ko chose winning championships as his most memorable moments.

"The moments of my first championship with SK and the memory of winning with KIA come to mind first. But above all, the ordinary days spent laughing and chatting with teammates at the ballpark were my most precious memories. Looking back, I think I was someone who truly loved baseball. I am happy that I was able to finish my playing career enjoying it until the very end," he said.

He also expressed his gratitude to his mentor from his SK days, manager Kim Sung-keun.

"He is the person who completely changed my baseball life," he said. "I truly respect him as a baseball person, and he is the one who had the biggest influence on my entire career. I sincerely thank him."

Ko will start a new chapter as a baseball academy instructor in Incheon.

"I plan to coach players alongside former SSG Landers coach Kim Tae-hoon," he explained. "I am also interested in broadcasting. As a baseball person, I will gladly participate in any position where I can be of help to the baseball community."

(Photo: Courtesy of Ulsan Whales, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.