KBO-commissioner

▲ This undated file photo shows former baseball color commentator Heo Koo-youn, newly elected as commissioner of the Korea Baseball Organization on March 24, 2022, in this photo provided by Heo. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ These images provided by the Korea Baseball Organization on Feb. 28, 2022, show its new logo (L) and emblem celebrating its 40th anniversary. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

KBO-commissioner

Veteran broadcaster Heo Koo-youn elected new KBO commissioner

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 25 (Yonhap) -- A longtime baseball commentator Heo Koo-youn has been formally elected the new commissioner of the South Korean professional league.

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced Friday that its board of governors, made up of the 10 club owners, unanimously approved Heo's nomination the previous day.

Heo, 71, had been put up for the position by the team presidents on March 11. He needed at least a three-quarters majority to be elected.

The KBO said Heo's inauguration ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. next Tuesday at its southern Seoul headquarters.

Though the commissioner's term is typically three years, Heo will only serve until Dec. 31, 2023, covering the duration of the term for his predecessor, Chung Ji-taik. Chung abruptly resigned last month, just over a year into his tenure, citing health problems.

Heo, a former semi-pro player in the 1970s, is the first baseball lifer to become the KBO commissioner. The position has previously been filled by politicians and corporate executives.

He retired before the founding of the pro league in 1982 and entered the television booth as a color commentator. He had a brief stint as manager for the downtrodden Chungbo Pintos in 1986 and resigned after going 8-23 that year.

He was the bench coach for another KBO club, Lotte Giants, in 1987, before returning to TV in 1991. Over the past three decades, Heo has been one of the most recognizable and beloved voices in South Korean baseball, while also serving in a wide range of administrative positions for the KBO. Outside the TV booth, Heo has been a vocal proponent for infrastructure improvements across the league.

The KBO players' association and its retired players' association both welcomed Heo's nomination earlier this month.

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