Korean baseball stadiums aren’t just a sporting venue, they are a place for entertainment, trying unique cuisine, and so much more for tourists from across the world.
South Korea is not just a country where tourists come to visit the cities, watch K-pop concerts, shop for K-beauty products, and so much more. Visitors come to the country to even experience Korean baseball stadiums. They can enjoy local snacks like mango ice cream, hot dogs, and more, dance to music, cheer with lightning sticks, and overall enjoy the thrilling happenings.
Baseball stadiums in Korea are becoming proper entertainment venues. Fans cheer their hearts out during intense games, dance to their favorite tunes to unwind, and indulge in delicious food from local restaurants. They get do all this in one place! These stadiums are becoming super popular with international tourists, who come to enjoy sports, entertainment, and mouth-watering food.
Korean baseball is going to the next level. Last year, it broke a record by attracting over 10 million viewers. And this season, it’s even better! The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League has already reached two million fans in just 118 games. That’s a huge jump from the previous record of 126 games set back in 2012. And the excitement doesn’t stop there! The Korea Tourism Organization is doubling its recruitment goal for its “Korean baseball stadium experience” tours. They’re now aiming to have 600 people join them, up from the original 300. So, if you’re a baseball fan, you’ve got to come and experience the magic of Korean baseball!
Why Korean baseball stadiums are becoming a tourist hotspot?
Although South Korea isn’t the biggest name in baseball, it comes at number six among the 138 countries in the World Baseball Softball Confederation. It comes after Japan and Taiwan. Korean baseball stadiums are becoming super popular and drawing visitors from all over the world. So, how did K-baseball stadiums become such a hot spot for sports fans and tourists?
Good food
Korean baseball games aren’t the main attractions for tourists. Food is the best one that attracts tourists and visitors to Korean baseball stadiums. Dishes like ‘ballpark style’ skewered chicken and grilled gizzards, dumplings and chicken, rice cake combos, hot dogs, fried chicken, fish cakes, creamy shrimp, and even yogurt ice cream topped with mango. Many folks reckon that the same food tastes better at the ballpark. Since most dishes are cooked ahead of time to handle the huge crowd, they might be a tad cold or soggy—but the thrill of the game and the energy of the fans usually make up for it.
And not just typical street food
Korean stadium food has come a long way from the classic combo of chicken and beer, known as chimaek. Baseball fans now say the stadium is one of the best places to try all of Korea’s signature dishes in one place. One of the most popular foods currently popular in Korean baseball stadiums is yukhoe, or Korean beef tartare. And this is a fan creation! Vendors near Jamsil Baseball Stadium saw Doosan Bears fans mixing the two ingredients and catching on quickly to make the ready-to-eat snack. Baseball fans from all over the country love the food at each stadium. Each stadium has its own special dishes.
This is a completely different scene compared to America, Japan, or Taiwan. One expects hotdogs, takoyaki, and bento, or burgers, chicken, and pizza in the stadium and not the fancy or the large variety of Korean cuisine. Baseball in Korea is like a full-on dining experience.
Even food delivery platforms are improving their services to serve fans at stadiums. To save time and effort, a “pickup service” was introduced. Yogiyo, a delivery app, announced that a pickup zone had been set up at Incheon SSG Landers Field. Fans can simply order through the app and pick up their food from the designated area. For those who feared missing the first run, eagerly asked “Anyone want to grab the food?” or worried “What if my team hits a home run while I’m away?” this is great news. Jamsil Baseball Stadium also has a similar service, called “Delivery Taza.”
Dancing, cheering, shopping
After you’ve had good food, Korean baseball stadiums are home to karaoke machines and dance floors. Fans tend to change the lyrics by adding player names and they even memorize them before coming to the stadium. Even the foreign players in the KBO League consider cheering culture as an experience that you must have. According to one KBO League hitter, the cheers are the loudest in the KBO League.
Viral videos like the “Pikki Pikki dance” brought Korean cheering culture to the world. Cheerleaders synchronized their thumb motions to the Kia Tigers’ out song, which caught everyone’s attention. Lee Ju-eun, the cheerleader who started it all, even signed an exclusive contract with Taiwan’s professional baseball team, the Fubon Guardians, while still cheering for the LG Twins. And in 2023, Lee Da-hye became the first Korean cheerleader to join a Taiwanese baseball team!
Baseball fans have discovered a new hobby: shopping at stadiums! They dress up in their favorite players’ uniforms and buy every piece of merchandise they can find. Some even make their own photo cards and give them to other fans as souvenirs. SPC Samlip even made KBO bread with team-specific player stickers, and they sold a million packs in just three days! That’s faster than the Pokémon bread craze that started the sticker trend.
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