San Diego Padres’ Korean Star Enjoys Warm Homecoming, as Historic Seoul Series Nears

It’s turning out to be a memorable homecoming for Ha-Seong Kim. The Korean superstar is having the time of his life representing MLB on his home soil. While the Padres star has already given his thoughts on how important this upcoming Seoul series is, fans are ensuring that Kim knows how much they adore him. Wasting no moment to shower him with love, the fans have once again shown their deep respect for the Gold Glove winner.

The fact that Ha-Seong Kim will be playing at the Gocheok Sky Dome has made things even more emotional for the star. The same place he played for five seasons with his previous team Kiwoom Heroes. So with this being a homecoming in every sense of the word, is it a surprise that fans just cannot get enough of their superstar?

Famous insider Jon Morosi recently posted an iconic video on X. While covering the first-ever MLB regular season series in Seoul, videos emerged of Ha-Seong Kim entering the ballpark. In a game against Team Korea, the San Diego Padres’ star took his first at-bat in Korea in a long time. The fans were ecstatic and gave a huge ovation to their iconic superstar.

Though Ha-Seong Kim ended up going out after his flyball got caught, the moment was nonetheless extremely important for the superstar. Kim’s popularity in South Korea has been noted by his teammates as well. Most of the Padres squad is in awe of their teammate’s huge influence in his home country.

“They love him here, as they should. He’s a superstar, both in the KBO and now in the MLB,” said Jurickson Profar to The San Diego Union-Tribune. But while his stardom is enviable, Kim also was part of a hilarious mistake recently.

How Ha-Seong Kim created an awkward silence during his major visit

Ha-Seong Kim was part of a youth baseball clinic at Yongsan Children’s Park. Alongside him was Chan-Ho Park – the first Korean player to ever play in MLB 30 years ago. As Kim was teaching kids how to swing properly something weird happened. During one of his patented swings, the bat slipped through his hands and flew over the heads of those in attendance. One of the people present there was the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeol! 

“It got up pretty high (in the field netting). I was just hoping that it wouldn’t hurt anyone…Including the president,” said Kim via his interpreter David Lee. The moment created an awkward silence with everyone wondering what had they just witnessed. Eventually, there were laughs and things went back to normal.

But this incident shows how Ha-Seong Kim’s presence has transcended sports. With even major political figures ready to witness the Seoul Series, this is turning out to be a huge homecoming for the San Diego Padres superstar.

Read more: Shohei Ohtani Relishes Upcoming Clash With Childhood Idol, Seoul Series Heats Up as Two-Way Phenom Gets Serious