MCST Holds Safety Measures Meeting with Professional Baseball Facility Managers

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) announced on May 29 that they will hold a meeting at 3:00 p.m. on May 30 with the facility management authorities of the 13 baseball stadiums used by the 10 professional baseball teams. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss measures to prevent the recurrence of incidents similar to the detachment of exterior attachments that occurred at Changwon NC Park baseball stadium in March.

The meeting will be attended by representatives from the MCST, MOLIT, the facility management authorities of the baseball stadiums, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the Korea Infrastructure Safety and Technology Corporation, and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).

On April 1, following the structural fall accident at Changwon NC Park, officials from the Seoul Facilities Corporation conducted an emergency inspection of Gocheok Sky Dome in Guro-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Yonhap News

The MCST plans to provide detailed guidance on the criteria and procedures for determining the safety rating of specific inspection items (such as structures, electrical and fire protection facilities), as well as key safety management items specific to baseball stadiums. These include the fixation status of spectator seats, the presence of safety devices (such as fences and nets) on the field, and the inspection of risk factors in spectator movement areas such as railings and entrances. Additionally, the ministry will inform attendees of the legal inspection obligations that facility managers must comply with, and will explain how each facility management authority can strengthen its own inspection capabilities to ensure the overall safety of baseball stadiums.

MOLIT will share the results of the emergency safety inspection and follow-up action plan for NC Park baseball stadium. The ministry will also introduce the "Guidelines for Self-Inspection of Attachments in Baseball Stadiums," which were developed through meetings with relevant agencies, follow-up inspection meetings after emergency safety checks, and expert consultations.

Furthermore, the MCST and MOLIT plan to request that the facility management authorities of the 13 baseball stadiums present at the meeting conduct their own safety inspections as soon as possible and submit the results. In addition, the ministries will continue to encourage self-inspections at other multi-use sports facilities nationwide, such as soccer stadiums, by utilizing safety inspection guidelines in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, so that the public can use sports facilities with peace of mind.

An MCST policy official stated, "The most important aspect of attending a sports event is the safety of the spectators," and added, "We will continue to do our utmost to create a safe environment where our citizens can enjoy sports with confidence."

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