South Korea: highest-paid baseball players 2025

Highest-paid baseball players in KBO League in South Korea in 2025 (in billion South Korean won)

Name (Team)	Annual salary in billion South Korean won
Kim Kwang-hyun (SSG)	3
Mel Rojas Jr. (KT)	2.52
James Naile (Kia)	2.24
Guillermo Heredia (SSG)*	2.24
Austin Dean (LG)	2.1
Ko Young-pyo (KT)	2
Ryu Hyun-jin (Hanwha)	2
Koo Ja-wook (Samsung)	2
Charlie Barnes (Lotte)	1.89
William Cuevas (KT)*	1.82

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Release date

March 2025

More information

Region

South Korea

Survey time period

2025

Supplementary notes

*Includes signing bonus.

Figures have been rounded.

1,000 South Korean won equals 0.72 U.S. dollars or 0.64 euros as of May 2025.

Citation formats

In 2025, the highest-paid baseball players in South Korea were Kim Kwang-hyun and Mel Rojas Jr. according to data from the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO). Their annual salary was approximately three and 2.52 billion South Korean won, respectively.

Professional baseball in South Korea

Naturally, not all professional baseball players are as well paid as Ryu Hyun-Jin or the other top players, who receive more than a billion won per annum. In fact, Ryu’s team, the Hanwha Eagles, paid an average of 163.35 million won in 2024, which was a bit more than the league average. The ticket revenue of KBO matches in 2023 was approximately 123.3 billion won. Many spectators would go to watch games with friends and family. As the most popular professional sport in South Korea, the attendance numbers for baseball matches in the country look set to continue to increase.

The KBO League

Among the various professional sports in South Korea, baseball was the most popular according to respondents to a survey. The KBO League offers the highest level of pro baseball in the country, and earning a spot on a team's roster is an impressive feat. The Kia Tigers are the most successful team overall, winning the most championships throughout the league's history which spans over 40 years. During the 2023 season, the LG Twins had the highest win rates in the league, with the team going on to win the championship.