New pro sports contract to force teams to inform players before trades

▲ Fans attend a Korea Baseball Organization regular season game between the home team SSG Landers and the Samsung Lions at Incheon SSG Landers Field in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, on June 1, 2021. (Yonhap)

▲ This file photo from April 4, 2021, shows fans attending a K League 1 match between the home team Gwangju FC and Incheon United at Gwangju Football Stadium in Gwangju, 330 kilometers south of Seoul. (Yonhap)

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New pro sports contract to force teams to inform players before trades

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, June 3 (Yonhap) -- Professional sports teams in South Korea must now inform players before trading them.

The sports ministry announced Thursday it will adopt new standard contracts for major professional sports leagues, covering baseball, football, basketball and volleyball.

The ministry said previous contracts only highlighted obligations for athletes and provided few details on responsibilities for teams. The new standard contracts have been designed to achieve more balance on that front and to better protect athletes' rights.

To that end, teams will be required to keep players in the loop during trade talks.

Teams typically deal players without prior notice. In North American sports, some players can insert a "no movement" clause into their contracts or can have a list of teams that they'd like to be traded to, in which case the management would consult with them prior to transactions.

The ministry also said teams will be obligated to offer traded players "detailed explanations" why they have been dealt and that they must give athletes at least three days to prepare for a move to another club if requested.

The ministry has also amended rules guiding the "voluntarily retired" list. Athletes who run into off-field trouble usually end up on that list. In that case, they are not allowed to play elsewhere unless their original clubs activate them first.

Under the new standard contract, athletes will be automatically taken off the list after three years.

The ministry amended the Sports Industry Promotion Act last December and began working on the standard contract with the Korea Professional Sports Association and local law firm Shin & Kim. The ministry had multiple meetings with league and team officials, as well as athletes.

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