ID :
198651
Tue, 08/02/2011 - 09:58
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/198651
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Heesung Group chairman tapped as new KBO commissioner
SEOUL, Aug. 2 (Yonhap) -- Koo Bon-neung, head of a local electronics parts and metal conglomerate and a younger brother of LG Group Chairman Koo Bon-moo, was nominated as the new commissioner of the top local baseball league on Tuesday.
At a board meeting, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) voted unanimously for Koo, a 62-year-old chairman of Seoul-based Heesung Group. The league will convene a general meeting of owners from all eight teams next week to approve Koo's nomination.
If confirmed, Koo will replace former commissioner You Young-koo, who resigned in May after being arrested on corruption charges. Koo is also an elder brother of Koo Bon-joon, vice chairman of LG Electronics and owner of the LG Twins club in the KBO. The Heesung chairman has served as a consultant for the Twins.
You's term runs through Dec. 31, and Koo will serve until then. He is expected to be nominated again for a new, three-year term next spring.
Since You's resignation, the KBO had been run by an interim commissioner, Lee Yong-il. Team presidents sought to nominate one of the eight owners. All KBO clubs are owned and operated by private companies, including major conglomerates such as Samsung, LG, SK and Doosan.
After all of the owners turned down the offer, the team presidents reached out to Koo Bon-neung. Lee Sang-il, secretary general of the KBO, told reporters he expects Koo to accept the nomination.
Since its inception in 1982, the KBO has had 11 commissioners. If selected, Koo would only be the third commissioner without a political background.
Koo is known to be a baseball fan. In 2005, Koo published a pictorial book titled "100 Years of Korean Baseball in Photography," featuring about 800 pieces of rare black-and-white baseball photos that he had collected.
The KBO has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent seasons, buoyed by South Korea's success at the Olympics, the Asian Games and the World Baseball Classic. The league is on pace to break its all-time single-season attendance record for the third straight year.
At a board meeting, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) voted unanimously for Koo, a 62-year-old chairman of Seoul-based Heesung Group. The league will convene a general meeting of owners from all eight teams next week to approve Koo's nomination.
If confirmed, Koo will replace former commissioner You Young-koo, who resigned in May after being arrested on corruption charges. Koo is also an elder brother of Koo Bon-joon, vice chairman of LG Electronics and owner of the LG Twins club in the KBO. The Heesung chairman has served as a consultant for the Twins.
You's term runs through Dec. 31, and Koo will serve until then. He is expected to be nominated again for a new, three-year term next spring.
Since You's resignation, the KBO had been run by an interim commissioner, Lee Yong-il. Team presidents sought to nominate one of the eight owners. All KBO clubs are owned and operated by private companies, including major conglomerates such as Samsung, LG, SK and Doosan.
After all of the owners turned down the offer, the team presidents reached out to Koo Bon-neung. Lee Sang-il, secretary general of the KBO, told reporters he expects Koo to accept the nomination.
Since its inception in 1982, the KBO has had 11 commissioners. If selected, Koo would only be the third commissioner without a political background.
Koo is known to be a baseball fan. In 2005, Koo published a pictorial book titled "100 Years of Korean Baseball in Photography," featuring about 800 pieces of rare black-and-white baseball photos that he had collected.
The KBO has enjoyed unprecedented success in recent seasons, buoyed by South Korea's success at the Olympics, the Asian Games and the World Baseball Classic. The league is on pace to break its all-time single-season attendance record for the third straight year.
