Lee Jong-beom, who left the team mid-season, conveyed his apologies to the fans.
In an interview with the production team aired on JTBC's 'Strong Baseball' on the 22nd, Lee Jong-beom expressed his honest feelings, saying, "I’ve been through difficult times. It was not an easy decision." He explained, "I knew that accepting the coaching position would lead to a lot of criticism. However, I thought it was a chance to greatly increase the Korean baseball boom."
Lee Jong-beom mentioned, "'Strong Baseball' promised support for amateur baseball teams including youth baseball. After 32 years in professional baseball, some may have been disappointed with my sudden change in direction. I sincerely apologize for that." He bowed his head once more to the fans.
Lee Jong-beom resigned from his coaching position at KT Wiz mid-season. Since his next move was to appear in entertainment shows, he faced criticism from some baseball fans who labeled it an 'unprofessional choice.'
Meanwhile, during the first broadcast of the new season of 'Strong Baseball', former manager Kim Eung-yong appeared to support Lee Jong-beom. Former manager Kim lightened the mood with his trademark humor by saying, "If you’re in your 40s, you should still be playing. Coaching is for people like me." He also offered heartfelt advice to Lee Jong-beom, saying, "It’s okay to be criticized. The most important thing is to have fun. If you get criticized a lot, you’ll live longer."