Professional basketball team KCC changed its home base from Jeonju, Jeollabuk-do to Busan on the 30th, ending the '22-year Jeonju era' that has been going on since 2001.
At the KBL Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, KCC President Choi Hyung-gil explained the background of the move and expressed his regret for the fans of Jeonju.
"The most worrisome and heartbreaking part of the move was the Jeonju fans who supported us for 22 years," Choi said, bowing his head, "and the only thing I can say now is that I'm sorry."
There are many interpretations that KCC's decision to part ways with Jeonju, its home for more than 20 years, was due to the city's passive attitude.
KCC had been rumored to relocate in 2016 and 2021, citing outdated facilities such as an outdated gymnasium.
There were plans to build a new gymnasium near the Jeonju World Cup Stadium in 2023, but it never materialized.
"It was noisy for various reasons with Jeonju, our hometown," Choi said, adding, "We tried to be patient and restrained to make things go smoothly, but it became a situation that we could no longer bear."
"There are some things that are difficult to disclose because of the intertwined interests, so we are announcing (the relocation) in this way today," he said, asking for understanding.
However, Choi explained, "The first time I noticed a strange atmosphere was in April of this year, when we (KCC) were asked to build a new gymnasium ourselves, and in May, when I saw the city of Jeonju and the KBO discussing plans to utilize the baseball stadium, I felt a sense of regret that 'basketball has taken a back seat.'"
He was disappointed that the city of Jeonju, which is building a new baseball stadium with a target opening date of 2026, is not doing much to build a gymnasium.
"Of course, I also reflect on the reality that basketball is not keeping up with the popularity of baseball, and I think we should do more," Choi added.
"I heard that Mayor Park Hyung-joon has a lot of interest in basketball and is actually good at it," he said, adding, "Busan was very active in attracting a basketball team because it has had a professional basketball team before."
Busan had two professional basketball teams, the Busan Kia (1997-2001) and the Busan KT (2003-2021), but they are now the Ulsan Hyundai Mobis and Suwon KT, respectively.
"In Busan, they said, 'If KCC comes, we will do our best to support them so that they don't regret it and hear that they came well,'" Choi said, adding, "The fans in Busan are very enthusiastic, so we will try to live up to their support."
The new home stadium is Sajik Gymnasium in Busan.
"We plan to coordinate schedules with the women's professional basketball team BNK, which uses Sajik Gymnasium as its home," Choi said.
However, the Busan BNK said, "We haven't heard anything from the city of Busan (about sharing a home stadium with KCC) yet."
Regarding Gunsan, Jeonbuk, which has been used as a second venue, Choi explained, "They were active in attracting us and even offered to give us a subsidy, but we decided that if we change the venue, it would be better to go to a bigger market and attract more spectators."
"We apologize for the inconvenience to the KBL and other teams," Choi said, "and we will use this as an opportunity to become a newly reborn organization for the development of basketball as a whole." 토토사이트