Actor Kim Seung-woo, who was buried in Little Baseball, said, "My main job for the past four years is baseball."

Actor Kim Seung-woo, who was buried in Little Baseball, said, "My main job for the past four years is baseball."

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A 35-year-old actor has become the "Chairman of Baseball." Kim Seung-woo (56), who officially took office as the 7th chairman of the Korea Little Baseball Federation on the 13th, is the main character. He has been the owner of the celebrity baseball team he founded for 20 years, and is known to be a "baseball fanatic" who seriously considered acquiring the Hyundai Unicorns, a professional baseball club, in 2007. But this time, he has entered the administration of baseball himself.스포츠토토

"Many people may wonder what kind of Little Baseball Kim Seung-woo is, but people who know me say, 'He's finally doing his job,'" Chairman Kim said. The World Series of Little Baseball in 2014 was the starting point. He reportedly watched it with his wife Kim Nam-joo (54). The Korean national team won the championship by beating the U.S. 8 to 4. It was the first time in 29 years since 1985. "Watching the finals, I was really thrilled to win the game as I overwhelmed American players who have one bigger head. Since then, I have become interested in Little Baseball in earnest," Chairman Kim said. Afterwards, he met with officials from the Little Baseball Federation in person and was offered to be elected as chairman, but he declined. He wanted to run for the chairman election in 2021, but he quit at the last minute. He doubted whether non-baseball players could solve the baseball problem.

However, I thought it was time for baseball to step up. The first to be hit by low birth rate is youth physical education. Little Baseball is also having difficulty in supplying players. At the scene, he is even worried about the existence of the Little Baseball Team. "Recently, a manager of the Little Baseball Team complained, 'Please let us live.' I think that non-baseball players can solve problems with new ideas or human networks. Baseball players sympathized a lot," Kim said. The opponent for the election was Yoo Seung-an (69), then Hanwha Eagles coach. "I felt like I was hitting a rock with an egg," Kim said, calling baseball officials more than 300 times during the election period, which was about a week ago. As they were not allowed to meet in person due to regulations, they made more than two phone calls per person. At first, even those who were worried about it nodded after hearing him say that the non-baseball player would change the phone.

Among their pledges, Little Baseball has expanded its sponsorship and transparent management of its finances. Currently, Little Baseball teams rely mostly on membership fees that their teams pay. Parents are under heavy burden. They reportedly spend as much as millions of won a month. By increasing the federation's finances, the team plans to gradually reduce its financial burden by providing various expenses such as participation fees and equipment. "It is a common practice these days to grab people around me by the collar to ask for help in Little Baseball," Chairman Kim said. "I already have some acquaintances who promised to sponsor the team, and I am actively using the contacts I have accumulated for 35 years."

The company is also pushing to introduce ABS (automatic pitching determination system) to Little Baseball. First of all, the company is considering ways to expand after seeing reactions after installing a test at one of the Hwaseong Dream Park stadiums. Chairman Kim said, "We have already checked with the company and we can afford it." Exchange matches with Taiwanese and Japanese teams, which had been discontinued since the outbreak of COVID-19, will also resume. The decision is based on the judgment that the experience of playing with foreign players while wearing national team uniforms is more important for growing as a baseball player than simply strengthening international competitiveness. "I played with Taiwanese and Japanese celebrity baseball teams as a representative of Korean celebrities in the past, and I was very proud to have played for the national team even though it was small," Chairman Kim said. "I hope young players can feel that feeling often." Taking advantage of his main job as an actor, he is also planning small baseball entertainment shows such as "Fly Shootdori."

He still goes to the ballpark on weekends and mornings, hitting and throwing balls. The federation chairman is an honorary position that does not pay a certain salary. "I won't even use the corporate credit card just in case there are rumors," Kim said. He said he now considers himself a baseball player. "It is true that actors and actresses have a lot of worries about working in baseball, but my main job is baseball for the next four years. I will put everything I have into it. I will save Korean baseball (from the bottom)."