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[WHY] Athletes hate Korea's stadiums. Why aren't they getting better?

Published: 12 Apr. 2025, 10:00 Updated: 13 Apr. 2025, 15:40

FC Seoul captain Jesse Lingard, right, reacts during a K League 1 match against Gimcheon Sangmu at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on March 3. [YONHAP]

When FC Seoul captain Jesse Lingard slipped on a detached section of grass, twisting his ankle, at the Seoul World Cup Stadium during a K League 1 match in March, angry fans took the internet by storm.

The target of their ire was not only the poor condition of the stadium, but also its leadership. Who, the commentariat demanded to know, had allowed this to happen?

In other countries, the answer would be a complicated web of stakeholders. In the case of Korea, however, it was simple: the government.

Wait, what?

Lingard's slipup wasn't the first time the Seoul World Cup Stadium had drawn criticism. A World Cup qualifier had been relocated from its namesake venue the previous year after National Team players complained about the quality of its turf. Son Heung-min blamed the poor pitch conditions of Goyang Stadium for performance difficulties in March.

The issues stem directly from the fact that Korea's stadiums are state-owned.

Korea's professional sports leagues didn't spring up as organic recreation, nor were they drawn from school programs; they were state-manufactured, centered on a small number of elite athletes, as a means of promoting national prestige, according to University of Seoul sports science Prof. Shin Jae-hyoo.

A scene of the opening ceremony of the 1988 Seoul Olympics at the Seoul Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul [JOONGANG ILBO]

Take Dongdaemun Stadium in central Seoul, Korea's first large-scale sports complex, which the city constructed in 1925 under Japanese occupation (1910–1945) and maintained until its closure in 2008. Or the 1988 Olympics, for which government-led projects built up stadiums and other infrastructure in the area.

There's the 2002 World Cup as well; Seoul World Cup Stadium, the country's second-largest, remains municipal property. Professional sports leagues, themselves, are a product of late President Chun Doo Hwan's “3S” — sex, screen and sports — widely regarded as an authoritarian attempt to quell rebellion.

“Whether it was for promoting the national flag or national development, sports created moments, like the Olympics, where the country made a big leap,” said Seoul National University physical education Prof. Lim Choong-hoon.

Fans watch a KBO game between KT Wiz and Hanwha Eagles at Suwon Baseball Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on March 22. [YONHAP]

That doesn't mean Korea's chaebol aren't ever-present in Korean sports, as they are in its modern society. Korean teams represent geographic regions, but they do not immediately evoke cities in the manner of esteemed European clubs such as FC Barcelona. That's no coincidence: Barca is a nonprofit governed by 150,000 local members and an assembly of delegates, rather than shareholders. As a result, it “is almost a part of the citizens themselves,” according to Lim.

Korea's clubs, by contrast — the Samsung Lions, the Kia Tigers — are owned by corporations. Governments — or, increasingly, state-owned corporations — own the stadiums and lease them out. This became more possible after the 2020 passage of the Sports Industry Promotion Act, which dictated that “the State and local governments shall formulate and implement policy measures necessary to promote the sports industry.”

Some large corporate-owned teams invest significant funds in their home stadiums, Shin said. Others may pay fees or take up maintenance duties in order to use them, according to a sports department official at the Yongsan District office surnamed Jung.

Pictured is the Seoul World Cup Stadium pitch in western Seoul on March 5. [YONHAP]

Got it, the government owns the stadiums. Is that good or bad?

It's good if you're a socialist. A positive externality of the state-run system was that stadiums grew relatively evenly across the country. “Rather than simply being a means of entertainment, sports were seen as having industrial and regional development value,” said Lim.

Today, “sports facilities in Korea are more of a public good than something that exists solely for use by professional teams,” said Lim.

As such, it's quite common for cultural activities such as concerts to also take place in Korea's stadiums. K-pop fans gather in places like Goyang Stadium to see their favorite singers, while events such as the Seoul Jazz Festival take place in complexes typically reserved for baseball.

Fans watch a K League 1 match between Ulsan HD and Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors at Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on March 1. [YONHAP]

But it's bad if you're Jesse Lingard. Korea's system rose quite quickly, with top-down oversight, and many elements that were missed in the process — including turf quality, Lim said — will take time to fill in.

“Even the grass planted during the 2002 World Cup hasn't seen much improvement,” Lim said.

[YUN YOUNG]

Singer G-Dragon performs during the domestic leg of his “Ubermensch” world tour, which took place on March 29 and 30 at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi. [PLUSB]

Shin emphasized that older football stadiums in Europe, owned by teams such as Real Madrid and Tottenham, are equipped with retractable grass that can be protected from the elements when not in use. But making that sort of renovation in Korea, according to Lim, would require significant investment.

The frequent concert crowds don't help. For example, the disastrous 25th World Scout Jamboree brought a stage, seats and more than 40,000 fans to the Seoul World Cup Stadium for a K-pop concert in 2023, all of which heavily damaged the pitch — despite the fact that one billion won had been spent to equip 95 percent of the field with natural grass in 2021.

Following the incident, the facility had to spend 153 million won on new grass, 19.9 million won on protective mats, 51.4 million won on pesticides and 19.6 million won on seeder machines in 2024.

As Lim put it, the multipurpose model creates “limits to operating stadiums at the standard that sports teams actually require.”

Team K League's Yang Min-hyuk, left, shakes hands with Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min before a Coupang Play Series match at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on July 31. [NEWS1]

So who should Jesse Lingard's fans be emailing?

Lim acknowledge historical missteps on the part of the state but was hesitant to blame Korea's unique development model for the poor grass quality of its stadiums.

“This comes down to willpower, particularly from clubs and local governments,” he said. “Neither side really shows strong intent to make changes.”

Fans watch a K League 1 match between FC Seoul and Incheon United at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in western Seoul on March 10. [NEWS1]

The entity that needs to step forward, Lim stressed, is the Korean Football Association, a governing body chronically plagued with accusations of nepotism and corruption.

Korean football itself, he said, has potential for development, noting that “players like Son Heung-min are doing well.”

However, “the KFA hasn't even been able to present a clear vision of where we're going or what we need to do,” Lim said. “Starting with organizational reform would be the first step for change.”

Korea celebrate after winning the women's team archery gold medal match against China at the Invalides in Paris on July 28, 2024. [EPA/YONHAP]

Shin offered a more optimistic outlook. “Nothing is truly impossible,” he said of the stadium problem.

Rather than naming a direct culprit, the professor suggested that Korean stakeholders pursue a unique model of sports management — one that serves the common good while also drawing large crowds — rather than constantly referencing overseas cases.

“We can't keep relying on outdated stadiums,” Shin says. “It's 2025 — these spaces are no longer acceptable.”

But he has faith. “It’s the unique strength of Korea — a small country that has repeatedly proved its ability to rise to the occasion.”

During the NC Dinos-LG Twins baseball game held at Changwon NC Park in Changwon, South Gyeongsang on Saturday, a structure installed on the wall of the concession stand fell down, killing one spectator and injuring two. [JOONGANG ILBO]

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]