San Diego Padres’ Korean Star Gives Teammates Special Gifts, as Historic Seoul Series Gets Underway

Normally, Opening Day is a special moment by itself. However, sometimes it holds even more meaning for some players. For instance, look at Ha-Seong Kim, the superstar of the San Diego Padres. MLB has gone to South Korea for the first time and Kim is getting to be a part of this historic moment. And the star is leaving no stone unturned to make this homecoming a memorable occasion for himself and his team.

While the Padres are set to battle against their rivals, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Ha-Seong Kim has decided to send small gifts to his teammates. Ever since they first stepped foot in Seoul, Kim has been on a mission to give his Padres’ companions the perfect Korean experience. And what’s a better way than gifting some traditional Korean clothing? 

That’s exactly what Ha-Seong Kim did. The Korean superstar has gifted his teammates custom Hanboks just before the Seoul Series. As the video posted by MLB shows, the hanboks are numbered like baseball shirts. The hanbok was accompanied by a personal message from Kim to his teammates. Naturally, it won the hearts of his teammates, who were in awe of this beautiful gesture.

“I thought that I had to prepare gifts for my teammates who came all the way to my home country of South Korea,” Kim said as reported by MLB.com. The star wanted to make this a trip worth remembering for his teammates. So he gifted them a dress whose history goes back to hundreds of years. 

For modern Koreans, hanbok holds important significance. It’s the dress to mark special moments like childbirth or a wedding. Kim got his teammates a Padres gold-colored long robe, adorned with a traditional gold-flake dragon print. This was not the only gift that the Padres received. So naturally, the team was overwhelmed.

Koreans give San Diego Padres a trip to remember

Apart from Kim, the Korean National Soccer team’s captain and Tottenham Hotspur superstar Heung-Min Son also gave a gift to the squad. The Premier League superstar gifted his No. 7 jersey to the Friars. Bayern Munich’s Min-Jae Kim too sent his jersey to the Pads’ locker room. But it was Ha-Seong Kim’s gesture and popularity that won the hearts of his teammates.

“That was amazing. He’s taking his time to do stuff like that, and it just means how much he cares for his teammates. That’s what he’s all about,” Fernando Tatis Jr. said. After seeing so many gifts, Manny Machado and Tatis the rest of the Padres chanted “Hwai-Ting! Hwai-Ting!” while looking at Kim. That’s a motivational chant in Korea.

So it looks like the Padres have completely assimilated into the Korean culture. With the Koreans firmly in their corner, it sure will be a tough battle for the Dodgers. More importantly, Ha-Seong Kim has surely made this trip worth remembering for his fellow players.

Read more: MLB Opening Day Seoul Bound: Everything You Need to Know About I-5 Dodgers-Padres Feud