The Kia Tigers of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League have announced that Jong-kook Kim will take over as their manager starting with the 2022 season.
Kim agreed to a three-year deal worth approximately US$ 700,000, with a US$ 250,000 signing bonus.
The Kia Tigers finished 9th in the 10-team KBO League 2021, winning only 58 games in the 144-game regular season.
"Rebuilding such a historic franchise is a heavy responsibility," said Kim through the Tigers website, "but I will do my best to field a team that fans will love. I want to see my players try hard and not give up until the end. Their performances need to be up to the club's reputation."
The 48-year old starred at second base for the Tigers, his only professional team, from 1996 to 2009. He contributed to three KBO Korean Series titles (1996, 1997 and 2009) and won the 2002 gold glove.
Kim, nicknamed The Defender for his fielding ability, helped the Korean National Team win a bronze medal in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.
After retiring as a player, Kim served on the Tigers coaching staff. During the 2022 season, he was the operations and first base coach.
He also served on Kyung-moon Kim's Korea National Team coaching staff at the WBSC Premier12 2019 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
