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The KBO League () is a professional baseball league in South Korea. The league comprises ten teams. The KBO League was founded with six franchises in 1982 and is the most popular sports league in South Korea. The Kia Tigers are the most successful team, having won 12 of the 43 championships.
In comparison with American Major League Baseball, ESPN reports that the KBO level of play "appears to be somewhere between Double-A and Triple-A, on average, though the best players are more likely to be MLB-quality than your typical Double-A league."Szymborski, Dan. "How good would Mike Trout be in the KBO? We have the numbers," ESPN (May 13, 2020). Historically, the KBO is known for its vocal and exuberant fan base,Roscher, Liz. "A KBO primer: Here's what you need to know to enjoy the return of baseball in South Korea," Yahoo! Sports (May 1, 2020). as well as the widespread practice of ( ppa-dun (), a portmanteau of the "first syllables of the words for 'bat' and 'throw'") by hitters after striking what they think will be a home run. In the KBO, the bat flipping tradition dates to the 1990s.
Any playoff games ending in an official tie are replayed, thereby raising the possibility of a close series containing more than the scheduled five or seven games.
Traditionally, South Korean professional baseball games have a maximum number of extra innings before a game is declared an official tie. The KBO abolished this limit for the 2008 season, but it was reinstated in 2009, with a 12-inning limit imposed during the regular season, and a 15-inning limit for playoff games.Kim Jae-Won (2009-01-13). KBO Abolishes Endless Overtime Rule. The Korea Times. Accessed on 2009-06-11.
The 1982 charter teams of its first season were:
The first Korean Series featured the Bears versus the Lions, with OB winning the championship 4-games-to-1, with a tie.
From 1982 to 1988, the regular season was divided into two (a spring season and a fall season), with a first-half pennant winner and a latter-half pennant winner. The two pennant winners then played each other for the Korean Series championship.Young Hoon Lee, Rodney Fort, editors. The Sports Business in The Pacific Rim: Economics and Policy (Springer, October 31, 2014) p. 178. The 1982 campaign featured an 80-game (in total) season, which expanded to 100 games from 1983 to 1984. Rosters for each team were small (sometimes as few as 14 players), and many players in the league both pitched and batted. Bang Soo-won of the Haitai Tigers pitched the first no-hitter in Korean professional baseball history, in 1984 against the Sammi Superstars.Kim Tae-jong. "No-hitter records in KBO history," The Korea Times (2014-06-25).
Mid-season 1985, the Sammi Superstars were sold and became known as the Chungbo Pintos, and the full season expanded to 110 games. Because the Samsung Lions won both half-season pennants (with a still single-season record .706 winning percentage), the Lions won the title outright so no Korean Series was played that year.
Because of the lack of a postseason in 1985, the next year saw some major changes, with the adoption of a playoff system, in which the top two teams from each half-season played for the right to get to the Korean Series. 1986 also saw the OB Bears moving from Daejeon to share Jamsil Baseball Stadium with MBC Chungyong in Seoul. A new franchise, the Hanwha Eagles, joined the league, replacing the vacancy in Daejeon made by OB's move, and expanding the league to seven teams. From 1986 to 1988, the regular season shrank to a total of 108 games.
1988 saw the Cheongbo Pintos change ownership again, becoming the Pacific Dolphins. In 1989 the KBO eliminated the two half-season pennants, moving to a single season of 120 games.
In 1990, MBC Chungyong became the LG Twins and an eighth franchise was added, the Ssangbangwool Raiders, who represented the North Jeolla Province region.
From 1991 to 1998, the season increased to 126 games. The Lotte Giants won the Korean Series championship in 1992; the team has not won it since. There was little other change during this period except for a few major sponsors: in 1993 the Binggrae Eagles became the Hanwha Eagles, in 1996 the Pacific Dolphins became the Hyundai Unicorns, and in 1999 the OB Bears became the Doosan Bears.
The 1998 Korean Series was won by the Hyundai Unicorns for the franchise's first championship in 16 years of existence. (The team would go on to win the championship in 2000, 2003, and 2004.)
In 1999 the season was expanded to 132 games, and the KBO separated into two divisions — the Dream League and the Magic League.Costello, Rory. Dae-Sung Koo entry, Society for American Baseball Research website. Footnote 11: "For the 1999 and 2000 seasons, Korea operated two leagues, the Dream League and Magic League. Hanwha was in the Magic League." Retrieved May 18, 2020. "A Miraculous Comeback in the Making?", The Dong-a Ilbo (October. 17, 2007). The 1999 Dream League consisted of the Doosan Bears, the Lotte Giants, the Haitai Tigers, and the Hyundai Unicorns; the 1999 Magic League consisted of the Hanwha Eagles, the LG Twins, the Samsung Lions, and the Ssangbangwool Raiders. That year the Eagles — in their 14th season — won their franchise's first (and only) Korean Series championship, after 14 years in the KBO.
Parity ruled the 2000s, with the Unicorns and Lions each winning three titles, and the upstart Wyverns winning two. The hard-luck Doosan Bears appeared in the Korean Series five times in the decade but only won it once, in 2001. Stars who emerged in the 2000s include all-time KBO hit king Park Yong-taik, the Giants' first-baseman Dae-ho Lee, and the Eagles' first-baseman Kim Tae-kyun. Other notable players from the era include slugging third-basemen Lee Bum-ho and Choi Jeong, the Bears' designated hitter Hong Sung-heon, and the Twins' long-time outfielder Lee Byung-kyu.
In 2001, the KBO returned to a single-division format. The Haitai Tigers became the Kia Tigers. From 2000 to 2012, the length of the regular season fluctuated between 126 and 133 games.
Despite its string of championships in the early 2000s, the Hyundai Unicorns franchise was disbanded in 2008. It was re-founded as the Nexen Heroes and moved to Mok-dong in Seoul. In 2010, the team's naming rights were sold to Nexen Tire and the team was renamed the Nexen Heroes until the end of the 2018 season, when its naming rights were sold to Kiwoom Securities.
Expansion resumed in the 2010s, with the addition of the NC Dinos, located in Changwon, which joined the league in 2013. It is the first team located in Changwon, the city having previously been the second home of the nearby Lotte Giants. The KBO played 128-game seasons in 2013–2014.
In 2015, the KT Wiz became the league's tenth franchise. They play their home games in Suwon, which had not had a team since the Hyundai Unicorns' disbandment. Since 2015 the KBO has played a 144-game season each year, and has added a fifth team to the playoffs, with the introduction of the Wild Card game. In 2015 the league also increased the active roster size of each team, from 26 to 27 (of those, 25 may play in any one game). "Wild-card game, speed-up rules among changes for 2015 KBO season," Yonhap News Agency (March 24, 2015).
After a number of seasons of inflated offensive production, the KBO introduced a new "dejuiced" baseball before the 2019 season. The results showed in a significant decrease in runs per game and home runs per game.Kim, Sung Min. "Let’s Check in on the KBO’s De-Juiced Baseballs," FanGraphs (August 16, 2019).
The KBO first began allowing foreign players in 1998,Lee, Seung Chan. "Foreign Players in the KBO: What the Future Holds," The Hardball Times (January 15, 2020). when each team was allowed to sign up to two imports. Traditionally, teams chose one hitter and one pitcher, although there were exceptions. (In 2001 and 2002, KBO teams were allowed three foreign-born players, but only two of them could be on the field at the same time.) By 2012, teams were using all their foreign-player allotments on pitchers, and there were no more foreign hitters in the KBO. After this happened again in 2013, the following season the KBO League raised the foreign-player limit to three for each team, but mandated that at least one foreign player had to be a hitter (again, with only two such players on the field at a time). "KBO clubs snatch up new foreign players following rule change," Yonhap News Agency (December 16, 2013).
American Tyrone Woods was the first notable import. Debuting with the Doosan Bears in 1998, Woods was the first foreign player to hit a home run (as well as the first to be ejected from a game by an umpire). In his first year Woods set a then-KBO record with 42 homers and won the MVP award (becoming the first foreign player to win the award). In five years in Korea, Woods hit 174 homers, drove in 510 runs, and batted .294. (He later found additional success in Nippon Professional Baseball.) Woods left Korea with the longest career of any foreign player in KBO history, a record later eclipsed by hitter Jay Davis and pitcher Dustin Nippert. Davis played seven seasons for Hanwha Eagles (1999–2002, 2004–2006), compiling a .313 batting average, 167 home runs, and 591 RBI during that span. "Jay Davis," Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
Foreign pitchers with extended careers in the KBO include Dustin Nippert, who compiled a win–loss record of 102–51 and 1,082 strikeouts in eight seasons (a foreign player record); and Danny Rios, who in six seasons was 90–59 with 807 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.01, which is the lowest career ERA of any foreign pitcher in the KBO. Josh Lindblom pitched in the KBO for five seasons, compiling a 63–34 record and 750 strikeouts. Rios was given the 2008 KBO League Most Valuable Player Award, Nippert was KBO MVP in 2016, and Lindblom won the award in 2019.
American Jerry Royster was the first-ever non-Korean to take the helm of one of South Korea's professional baseball clubs when he was signed as manager of the Lotte Giants in 2007. (Royster served as the Giants' manager through the 2010 season.)
Over the league's history, more than 200 Americans have played in the KBO; other countries which have produced many current and former KBO players include the Dominican Republic (with more than 80 players), and Venezuela (with more than 20 players).
Several Korean players have also successfully transitioned from the KBO to American Major League Baseball, starting in 1994 with pitcher Chan Ho Park. Prior to Park, the South Korea-born Mexican pitcher Ernesto Carlos was signed to an American minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants' organization in 1968 after having found success in the NPB. Similarly, pitcher Park Chul-soon signed a minor league deal with the Milwaukee Brewers organization in 1980. Neither Ernesto Carlos nor Park Chul-soon, however, made it to the Major Leagues. Other Korean players who have had lengthy MLB careers include outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and pitcher Byung-hyun Kim. In 2013, Hanwha Eagles ace Hyun-jin Ryu became the first player from the KBO to join an MLB team through the posting system. Altogether, 28 South Korean players have made it to the MLB as of 2025.
| Doosan Bears | Seoul | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 25,000 | 1982 | |
| Hanwha Eagles | Daejeon | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | 20,000 | 1985 | 1986 |
| Kia Tigers | Gwangju | Gwangju-Kia Champions Field | 20,500 | 1982 | |
| Kiwoom Heroes | Seoul | Gocheok Sky Dome | 16,744 | 2008 | |
| KT Wiz | Suwon | Suwon kt wiz Park | 20,000 | 2013 | 2015 |
| LG Twins | Seoul | Jamsil Baseball Stadium | 25,000 | 1982 | |
| Lotte Giants | Busan | Sajik Baseball Stadium | 24,500 | 1975 | 1982 |
| NC Dinos | Changwon | Changwon NC Park | 22,112 | 2011 | 2013 |
| Samsung Lions | Daegu | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | 24,000 | 1982 | |
| SSG Landers | Incheon | Incheon SSG Landers Field | 23,000 | 2000 | |
| Hyundai Unicorns | Suwon | Suwon Baseball Stadium | 1982 | 2008 | |
| Ssangbangwool Raiders | Jeonju | Jeonju Baseball Stadium | 1990 | 1991 | 1999 |
Between 2021 and 2023, SPOTV broadcast selected games in the ASEAN region.
In 2024, streaming platform TVING became the exclusive home of the KBO League, marking the end of the league's free online broadcast era in South Korea. In June that same year, free streaming service AfreecaTV acquired the rights to broadcast all KBO games outside of South Korea through the 2026 season.
| Jamsil Baseball Stadium | Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark | Gwangju-Kia Champions Field | Gocheok Sky Dome | ||
| Capacity: 25,000 | Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 20,500 | Capacity: 16,744 | ||
| Suwon kt wiz Park | Sajik Baseball Stadium | Changwon NC Park | Daegu Samsung Lions Park | Incheon SSG Landers Field | |
| Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 24,500 | Capacity: 22,112 | Capacity: 24,000 | Capacity: 23,000 | |
In addition to these ballparks, the Lotte Giants play some games at Ulsan Munsu Baseball Stadium, the Samsung Lions at Pohang Baseball Stadium and the Hanwha Eagles at Cheongju Baseball Stadium.
The record was broken again in the 2017 season with over 8.4 million fans at the regular season games. The Bears, Twins, Giants and Tigers all attracted over 1 million fans, and the average game attendance was above 11,600 fans. This increase in popularity has been accompanied by the building of larger and more modern ballparks to further enhance the fan experience and their expenditures during games, such as Gwangju-Kia Champions Field (2014), Gocheok Sky Dome (2016), Daegu Samsung Lions Park (2016), and Changwon NC Park (2019).
The KBO League has shown significant growth among female audiences in recent years; data from the early 2024 season showed that approximately 54% of ticket holders were female, with the majority being in their 20s. Survey released after the 2024 season not only confirmed the early season data, but also showed that women in their 30s also had a strong interest in the league and were more interested in financially supporting their favorite teams than their male counterparts.
| Kia Tigers | 12 | 0 | 1983, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2009, 2017, 2024 | |
| Samsung Lions | 8 | 11 | 1985, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 | 1982, 1984, 1986, 1987, 1990, 1993, 2001, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2024 |
| Doosan Bears | 6 | 9 | 1982, 1995, 2001, 2015, 2016, 2019 | 2000, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021 |
| SSG Landers | 5 | 4 | 2007, 2008, 2010, 2018, 2022 | 2003, 2009, 2011, 2012 |
| Hyundai Unicorns (defunct) | 4 | 2 | 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004 | 1994, 1996 |
| LG Twins | 3 | 4 | 1990, 1994, 2023 | 1983, 1997, 1998, 2002 |
| Lotte Giants | 2 | 3 | 1984, 1992 | 1985, 1995, 1999 |
| Hanwha Eagles | 1 | 5 | 1999 | 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 2006 |
| NC Dinos | 1 | 1 | 2020 | 2016 |
| KT Wiz | 1 | 1 | 2021 | 2023 |
| Kiwoom Heroes | 0 | 3 | 2014, 2019, 2022 |
| + Single-season ! | Player ! | !Year |
| Batting average | ||
| Baek In-chun | .412 | 1982 |
| Lee Jong-beom | .393 | 1994 |
| Jang Hyo-jo | .387 | 1987 |
| Home Runs | ||
| Lee Seung-yuop | 56 | 2003 |
| Lee Seung-yuop | 54 | 1999 |
| Shim Jeong-soo | 53 | 2003 |
| Byung-ho Park | 53 | 2015 |
| Hits | ||
| Seo Geon-chang | 201 | 2014 |
| José Miguel Fernández | 199 | 2020 |
| José Miguel Fernández | 197 | 2019 |
| RBIs | ||
| Byung-ho Park | 146 | 2015 |
| Lee Seung-yuop | 144 | 2003 |
| Choi Hyoung-woo | 144 | 2016 |
| Stolen Bases | ||
| Lee Jong-beom | 84 | 1984 |
| Jeon Jun-ho | 75 | 1993 |
| Lee Jong-beom | 73 | 1983 |
| Lee Jong-beom | 73 | 1993 |
| OPS | ||
| Eric Thames | 1.288 | 2015 |
| Baek In-chun | 1.237 | 1982 |
| Jung-ho Kang | 1.198 | 2014 |
| Strikeouts | ||
| Byung-ho Park | 161 | 2015 |
| Choi Hyoung-woo | 146 | 2018 |
| Xavier Scruggs | 144 | 2018 |
| + Career ! | Player ! | !Years played |
| Batting average | ||
| Jang Hyo-jo | .331 | 1982–1992 |
| Park Min-woo | .328 | 2013–present |
| Kim Tae-kyun | .323 | 2001–present |
| Home Runs | ||
| Lee Seung-yuop | 467 | 1995–2017 |
| Yang Joon-hyuk | 351 | 1993–2010 |
| Choi Jeong | 342 | 2005–present |
| Chang Jong-hoon | 340 | 1986–2005 |
| Hits | ||
| Park Yong-taik | 2,458 | 2002–2020 |
| Yang Joon-hyuk | 2,318 | 1993–2010 |
| Park Han-yi | 2,174 | 2001–2019 |
| RBIs | ||
| Lee Seung-yuop | 1,498 | 1995–2017 |
| Yang Joon-hyuk | 1,389 | 1993–2010 |
| Kim Tae-kyun | 1,329 | 2001–present |
| Stolen Bases | ||
| Jeon Jun-ho | 550 | 1991–2009 |
| Lee Jong-beom | 510 | 1993–2012 |
| Lee Dae-hyung | 505 | 2003–2019 |
| OPS | ||
| Lee Seung-yuop | .960 | 1995–2017 |
| Yang Joon-hyuk | .950 | 1993–2010 |
| Kim Tae-hyun | .944 | 2001–present |
| Strikeouts | ||
| Park Kyung-oan | 1,605 | 1991–2013 |
| Song Ji-man | 1,451 | 1996–2013 |
| Park Yong-taik | 1,377 | 2002–2020 |
| + Single-season ! | Player ! | !Year |
| ERA | ||
| Sun Dong-yol | 0.78 | 1993 |
| Sun Dong-yol | 0.89 | 1987 |
| Sun Dong-yol | 0.99 | 1986 |
| Wins | ||
| Jang Myeong-bu | 30 | 1983 |
| Choi Dong-won | 27 | 1984 |
| Kim ll-young | 25 | 1985 |
| Kim Si-jin | 25 | 1985 |
| Strikeouts | ||
| Ariel Miranda | 225 | 2021 |
| Ahn Woo-jin | 224 | 2022 |
| Choi Dong-won | 223 | 1984 |
| Saves | ||
| Seung-hwan Oh | 47 | 2006 |
| Seung-hwan Oh | 47 | 2011 |
| Son Seung-lak | 46 | 2013 |
| + Career ! | Player ! | !Years played |
| ERA | ||
| Sun Dong-yol | 1.20 | 1985–1995 |
| Choi Dong-won | 2.46 | 1983–1990 |
| Hyun-jin Ryu | 2.80 | 2006–2012 |
| Wins | ||
| Song Jin-woo | 210 | 1989–2009 |
| Jung Min-cheul | 161 | 1992–2009 |
| Lee Kang-chul | 152 | 1989–2005 |
| Strikeouts | ||
| Song Jin-woo | 2,048 | 1989-2009 |
| Lee Kang-chul | 1,749 | 1989–2005 |
| Sun Dong-yol | 1,698 | 1985–1995 |
| Saves | ||
| Seung-hwan Oh | 277 | 2005–present |
| Son Seung-lak | 271 | 2005–2019 |
| Lim Chang-yong | 258 | 1995–2018 |
| Opening day of the season |
| At age 20, Kim was the youngest KBO pitcher to ever throw a no-hitter |
| Game 4 of the Korean Series |
| Jeonju Baseball Stadium |
| At age 34, Song was the oldest KBO pitcher to throw a no-hitter |
| First foreign player to throw a KBO League no-hitter |
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