"Korea is still not so familiar with Major League Baseball" - Low turnout for Dodgers & Padres exhibition games raises questions among Korean media

As a part of the MLB World Tour, the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres will play two games in the 'Seoul Series' on Wednesday to kick off Opening Day 2024.

In the exhibition games, the Dodgers secured a win against the Kiwoom Heroes, while the Padres defeated the LG Twins and the Korean National Team.

Despite having a flashy opening with the collaboration of K-Pop culture, the games did not attract many fans. According to Kyodo News, Seoul’s Gocheak Sky Dome did not reach its 18,000-seat occupancy.

Sunday’s Dodgers and Kiwoom Heroes game had 14,671 attendees, while the Padres vs. South Korea’s National Team game had 12,497 attendees. On Monday, the Padres-LG Twins game had only 6,815 fans attending the game.

"The (exhibition) tickets weren't sold out," said Kim Woo Jong, a Starnews Korea reporter. "Korea is still not so familiar with Major League Baseball."

A possible reason for the low attendance could be the lack of parking facilities near the stadium. Additionally, the ticket prices for the exhibition games were nearly 10 times higher than a Korean League game.

"I'm sure this series makes people over here feel more familiar with MLB and will lead to the next generation," the reporter added.

Kyodo News also reported that all tickets for Wednesday’s Opening Day game between the Dodgers and Padres are sold out.

MLB World Tour schedule

Major League Baseball launched a new initiative, the MLB World Tour, to promote the league globally. The League plans to play additional games, including in-season games, in various cities around the world, such as Tokyo, Seoul, Mexico City, London and Paris, from 2023 to 2026.

In the Mexcito City Series last year, the San Diego Padres defeated the San Francisco Giants in both games. On the other hand, the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals had a tie in the London Series.

This year, the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays inaugurated the tour with their Dominican Republic Series during spring training in March.

The Dodgers and Padres will kick off the regular season with the Seoul Series in South Korea on Wednesday, followed by another game on Thursday.

Next month, the Houston Astros and the Colorado Rockies will travel to Mexico to play a two-game series. Meanwhile, the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies are scheduled to play the London Series in June.