
Fans attend a Korea Baseball Organization regular-season game between the home team Doosan Bears and the Samsung Lions at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul on July 2, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 2 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean baseball league surpassed 7 million fans in the fewest number of games in its history Wednesday, while remaining on pace to shatter its single-season attendance record.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) said the five games played Wednesday drew a combined 76,723 fans, pushing the season total to 7,007,765 after a record 405 games.
The previous record for the fastest to 7 million fans was the 487 games it took during the 2024 campaign.
The total so far this season is already the ninth-highest attendance figure for a season, with the All-Star break still nine days away.
In 2024, the KBO had a record 10.88 million fans in 720 games. This year, the league is on pace to reach 12.5 million fans.
The KBO eclipsed the 6-million mark on June 17 and reached the next million only 15 days later.
On Wednesday, the league-leading Hanwha Eagles hosted the NC Dinos at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark in Daejeon, some 140 kilometers south of Seoul, before a full house of 17,000 fans. It was their league-leading 35th sellout of the season in their 39th home game.
The Lotte Giants brought the LG Twins to Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan, about 320 kilometers southeast of Seoul, with 20,661 fans on hand.
The Kia Tigers faced the SSG Landers at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of the capital, in front of 11,827 fans.
In Seoul, the Doosan Bears took on the Samsung Lions before 20,448 fans at Jamsil Baseball Stadium.
The game between the KT Wiz and the Kiwoom Heroes at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul, had the smallest crowd Wednesday with 6,787.
Also through Wednesday, there have been 196 sellouts leaguewide, only 25 shy of the single-season record of 221 set in 2024.
KBO teams are averaging 17,303 fans per game so far this season, compared to 14,730 fans from the same point of the 2024 season.
The Lions are leading all clubs with an average of 22,653 fans per game, with two other clubs, the Twins and the Giants, also averaging over 20,000 fans at home.
After the Eagles’ 35 sellouts, the Lions have the second-most sellouts with 33 in 44 home games.
(Yonhap)