Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, South Korea, hosted the first game of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) 2023 Korean Series (KS) between the LG Twins and the KT Wiz on July 7. Around 1 p.m., about five hours before the start of the game, LG fans wearing ‘glossy jumpers’ began to gather around the stadium.

Fans lined up in long lines at the stadium entrance, and the ticket office was overflowing with fans inquiring about purchasing tickets.

It was as cold as the middle of winter in Seoul, but LG fans didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ve been supporting LG since I was in elementary school,” said Kim Mo, a university student who came out at 1 p.m. “I was lucky to get a ticket. I came out early to feel the heat of the game.”

Tickets for the game were sold out early.

On the sixth day of KS ticket sales, hundreds of thousands of fans flocked to the ticketing site, and online communities were filled with posts of failed ticket attempts. It was reminiscent of the frenzy of buying tickets for a K-pop star’s concert.

LG fans who couldn’t get tickets stampeded their feet on various sites saying they were looking for tickets.

One fan wrote a desperate story on a baseball community site, saying, “My father is a longtime LG fan and I really want to show him a baseball game. Please transfer the tickets.” The story drew attention.

Tickets for the first game of KS were sold on some secondary trading sites for tens of times more.

General admission seats in the outfield were going for hundreds of thousands of won.

Officials from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) and LG have been bombarded with calls to buy tickets.

“We received more calls than ever before,” said a KBO official, “but the system doesn’t allow us to give out tickets. We politely asked for their understanding.”

Players were also finding it difficult to get tickets. “I wanted to invite my family, but they couldn’t get tickets,” said a KT player, “They said they would watch it on TV.”

The fans who were lucky enough to get tickets in the face of fierce competition cheered at the top of their lungs.

LG fans, dressed in red and black glossy jumpers, sat not only in the home stands but also in KT’s away stands, leading to a one-sided cheering match.

LG Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and the presidents of LG’s affiliated companies were in attendance at the stadium.

Former Chung-Ang University baseball coach Kim Yong-soo “North Song” Kim, who was a key player in the 1994 KT championship, was the batting coach, and Seoul Go head coach Kim Dong-soo was the catcher.

The nostalgic LG fans gave them a standing ovation.

LG hadn’t lifted the KS trophy since 1994, when it won the title with a four-game sweep of the Pacific Dolphins, until last year.

In 2002, they were brought to their knees by the Samsung Lions in the KS with a 2-4 record, and from 2003 onward, it was a long dark period.

Last year’s generation-changing LG dreamed of winning the KS title by finishing second in the regular season, but lost to the Kiwoom Heroes in the playoffs. 무료슬롯게임