President Moon: "May Baseball, Which Has Returned to Our Side, Bring Us Comfort"

Welcome Message for Pro Baseball Opening: "The World Will Closely Observe and Learn from the Coexistence of Quarantine and Daily Life"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] "I hope the people exhausted by COVID-19 find comfort in 'baseball returning to our side.'"

President Moon Jae-in expressed his welcoming stance on the opening of the professional baseball season through an SNS message on the 6th. This year's professional baseball, which opened on Children's Day, May 5th, at five stadiums nationwide, was held without spectators but attracted attention not only in Korea but also in countries such as the United States and Japan. This is because Korea started the schedule while the world had suspended major sports events due to the impact of COVID-19.

On the 5th, the opening day of the 2020 professional baseball season, the opening game between Doosan and LG was held without spectators at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul, where an LG cheerleader is cheering. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

President Moon said, "The whole world’s attention was focused on the opening of our professional baseball. There were live broadcasts in the United States and Japan. The world will closely observe and learn how Korea can coexist with quarantine measures and daily life while enjoying sports through the opening of Korean professional baseball," emphasizing, "It would be even more delightful if this opportunity leads to recognition of the level of K-baseball."

President Moon added, "Following the opening of professional baseball, professional soccer will also open on May 8th, Parents' Day. The number of spectators will gradually increase, and the day when you can enjoy the games directly at the stadium is not far off. I hope sports will become a source of hope for the people who wish for a speedy recovery of daily life. For that to happen, the opening of sports must harmonize with quarantine measures and settle well."

Meanwhile, President Moon stated, "From today, 'social distancing' changes to 'distancing in daily life.' The number of new confirmed cases has significantly decreased, with zero domestic cases for three consecutive days, and no cases on five days in the past week," adding, "This is the result of K-quarantine, which surprised the whole world. It is the outcome of all citizens uniting as the main agents of quarantine. I ask everyone to unite once more to maintain this trend during the 'distancing in daily life' period."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.