Dodgers Team News

KBO Sponsor: Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Good For Seoul Economy

Jin Okdong isn’t a household name in the United States.

Yet as the CEO of Shinhan Bank, the title sponsor of the top league in South Korea, Okdong has a vested interest in the Seoul Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. The two teams will begin the Major League Baseball regular season with a pair of games in Seoul, March 20-21.



In an interview with Bloomberg, Okdong’s main interest revolved around one player: Shohei Ohtani.

“The big global event this month is that Shohei Ohtani is coming to Seoul for the opening game,” Okdong said through an interpreter. “I’m a massive fan of Shohei Ohtani.”

It’s a short interview, but it’s revealing. More than the brand of the Dodgers and the Padres, the Ohtani brand — at least in the opinion of one KBO power broker — is the biggest draw.

Ohtani said at Saturday’s DodgerFest, and repeated Friday, that he expects to be healed from 2023 elbow surgery in time to play the March 20 game. More than a competitive advantage for the Dodgers, Ohtani represents a marketing advantage to everyone involved in staging the two games in Korea.

“I think the opening game will have a great effect because the interest between the people of Korea, and the people of Japan, has increased tremendously,” Okdong said. “I think it will have a great economic event as well. In fact, it is difficult to book a hotel in Korea in the week of March 20. Many people are coming to Korea, and the two countries need to get along very well. I think Shohei Ohtani is doing a good job for private-sector exchanges.”

In addition to the two games against the Padres, the Dodgers are scheduled to play three exhibition games against local teams in Korea.

Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

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JP Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra writes and edits Major League Baseball content for DodgersNation.com and is the author of 'The 50 Greatest Dodger Games Of All Time.' He once recorded a keyboard solo on the same album as two of the original Doors. Follow at https://x.com/jphoornstra

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