SEOUL — The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) reached a new milestone in fan attendance, breaking its single-season record previously set seven years ago, with over a month still remaining in the current season.
According to Yonhap News Agency, as of Sunday afternoon, season attendance figures hit 8,407,887, surpassing the 2017 record of 8,400,688. This new record was achieved during the 569th game of the season, held at the Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul, where the Kia Tigers faced the LG Twins in a sold-out game, contributing to the record-breaking tally. The league anticipates adding more to this record with four other games scheduled later on Sunday.
This season has not only seen an increase in overall attendance but also a significant rise in sellout games, with Sunday’s game marking the 161st sellout, the highest in a single season. The KBO’s robust attendance began early, with the league drawing over 6 million fans before the All-Star break for the first time ever and reaching the 7 million mark on July 27, a record pace for the league.
All ten KBO teams are averaging over 10,000 fans per game, a first in the league’s 42-year history, led by the LG Twins with nearly 19,400 fans per game. Additionally, three teams have already exceeded a million fans this season, and others are close to reaching the same milestone.
Despite initial concerns over adverse weather conditions, attendance has remained strong, with July’s average nearly matching May’s and August on track to set the highest monthly average attendance for the season.