Booyoung, KT apply for expansion team

Two Korean companies submitted their formal applications to launch an expansion professional baseball team, with the country’s top baseball league expected to pick the winner before the end of this month.

Booyoung, a business group with more than a dozen affiliates, submitted its application in partnership with North Jeolla to the Korea Baseball Organization headquarters in Seoul on Monday. KT, the nation’s top fixed-line operator and the No. 2 mobile carrier, and its partner Suwon, Gyeonggi, submitted their application on the same day.

The KBO will review these applications tomorrow, officials said. The league has established an evaluation committee of about 20 outside experts, who will assess the strength of the applications based on about 30 categories, including the corporate owners’ financial stability and their willingness to help foster youth baseball.

Yonhap