MLB to let Dodger Dogs out for Seoul Series at Gocheok

The MLB and the KBO might not be the only rivals facing off at Gocheok Sky Dome in exhibition games ahead of the Major League season opener in Seoul.

Korea’s classic chimaek, chicken and beer, could soon meet a new food foe: The Dodger Dog.

Padres and Dodgers to open 2024 MLB season in Seoul

The iconic ballpark hot dog is set to follow the Los Angeles Dodgers to Seoul for their MLB opener against the San Diego Padres next month.

An official involved in the preparation for the Seoul Series told Korean wire service Yonhap last week that food and beverage purveyors for Dodgers Stadium and Petco Park have been invited to set up shop at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul for the four-day event.

That includes the Dodger Dog, a storied 10-inch pork sausage that’s become a hallmark of the team’s 62-year history in Los Angeles — literally. A smiling statue of a hot dog in a Dodgers jersey greets fans outside of the team’s home stadium.

According to local news outlet ABC7 Los Angeles, Dodgers Stadium sells about 2.8 million Dodger Dogs per season — about 23,000 per game. That’s 10.5 Lotte Towers of hot dog consumed every time the team plays at home.

Ticket holders to the Seoul Series might also hope to find other iconic Dodgers Stadium offerings on the Gocheok menu. Like, for instance, loaded fries that come in an upside-down plastic Dodgers helmet or a Frozen Dodgerita — a bright blue icy take on a margarita served in a glass shaped like a baseball bat.

Padres fans can also expect their beloved Barrio Dogg at the Seoul Series, according to Yonhap. The Dogg comes wrapped in bacon and on a brioche bun — the Tijuana-style creation born in a San Diego neighborhood that made its Petco Park debut in 2021.

It's unclear which Dodgers Stadium and Petco Park concessions shops will make their way to Seoul.

Existing vendors at Gocheok Sky Dome, home of the Kiwoom Heroes, will operate as usual, the MLB official told Yonhap.

So local and foreign fans alike can still expect to see typical KBO offerings like fried chicken and beer and food carts selling fried squid.

But it’s unclear whether games-goers will be allowed to bring food and drink purchased outside the stadium into the ballpark — the norm for regular season KBO games but restricted at many baseball stadiums in the United States.

The Dodgers are set to dance with home team Heroes and the Korean national team on March 17, and the Padres will play Korean Series champions LG Twins and the national team on March 18 in exhibition games ahead of the MLB regular season opener on March 20 and 21.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]