Lee Soo-kwang's inauguration ceremony as the 11th new KBL president "Fan First" and Yoo Jae-hak, director "Hard Call"
Jul 01, 2024
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Lee Soo-kwang (80), the new president, became the 11th head of the KBL (Korea Basketball Federation).
Governor Lee held an inauguration ceremony at the KBL Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 1st. He said "The flower of professional sports is a fan. I will make the spirit of Fan First the best value."
"With the support of the fans, the players are encouraged, and the club exists," he said. There is still a long way to go. Now is the time for professional basketball to take a leap forward after overcoming various difficulties and starting anew. We will do our best to make professional basketball a festival venue for fans without leaving the fans of the returning spectators," he stressed.
The popularity of professional basketball has been recovering since last season. Compared to the previous season, the number of spectators in professional basketball increased by 23%. The regular league's admission revenue exceeded 10 billion won for the first time. However, he expressed his willingness not to settle down here.
He said "Men's professional basketball, which was launched in 1997, has established itself as a representative winter sport for nearly 30 years. Although there have been many ups and downs along with changes in the times, our men's professional basketball is gradually regaining its past popularity and glory due to the recent increase in public interest in professional sports"We will actively cooperate with the club to provide various fan services. We will further revitalize the integrated marketing platform and use new media to expand our contact with basketball fans."
He also mentioned the game. He added, `We will increase the number of referees and increase expertise to increase fairness and transparency in the game. When revising various systems and regulations, we will fully collect opinions from the field. I'll try to come up with a common sense"The League will always keep its ears open. We will listen to the opinions of various stakeholders such as basketball fans, media, clubs, and players and try to reflect them as much as possible."
Lee, a former professional manager who served as CEO of Dongbu Fire & Marine Insurance and Dongbu Construction, took over the audit of the Kim Jun-ki Cultural Foundation in February this year. He "I have experience working in various business areas. I will put all my capabilities into developing professional basketball."
Since 2018, 10 clubs have been in charge of KBL's president. KCC has been in charge for the past three years, and DB will take charge this time. The term of office is until June 30, 2027.
Shin Hae-yong, former head of Wonju DB, was appointed as the secretary-general to manage the overall KBL administration, and Yoo Jae-hak, the best professional basketball master, will be the head of the game headquarters in charge of refereeing and game management.
Coach Yoo said, `Due to the nature of basketball sports, physical fights occur, and there is always ambiguity in the judgment criteria. I'll do my best to make a trusted decision"The criteria for judging physical fights are different at home and abroad. There is definitely a part where players are embarrassed. Now KBL needs some hard calls as well."
Judgment criteria are important in basketball. A call that actively whistles for a physical fight is usually referred to as a 'soft call', and a 'hard call' to save the whistle for any contact while encouraging a physical fight. On the international stage, in addition to key fouls such as holding hands and hanging legs, there is a tendency not to call for body-to-body collisions.
There are also complaints about the economic flow being cut off a lot. We will discuss it carefully and try to make changes in that area. I don't think it's appropriate if the judge doesn't have trust and fairness. I'm going to make all the referees feel like they're a one-team team," he stressed.
sfryu@sportschosun.com
