Veteran KBO League outfielder Choi Hyung-woo has officially rejoined the Samsung Lions after nearly a decade with the KIA Tigers,marking a return to the team where he first made his professional debut. The 42-year-old slugger, honored with the ‘Record of the Year’ award on December 4th, finalized a two-year contract worth up to 2.6 billion won with samsung, plus a 1.5 billion won compensation to his former team [[1]]. The move brings to a close a celebrated run with the Tigers and a highly anticipated homecoming for one of the league’s all-time greats.
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Former KIA Tigers star Choi Hyung-woo is officially a member of the Samsung Lions, beginning his duties with his new team on December 4th. The veteran outfielder said goodbye to KIA manager Lee Beom-ho and spoke with Samsung’s Park Jin-man about a shared goal: a championship.
Choi Hyung-woo attended the Sports Seoul ‘Player of the Year’ awards ceremony in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul on December 4th, accompanied by his agent and the Samsung Lions’ PR team. KIA manager Lee Beom-ho and the KIA PR team were also present at the event.
Samsung officially announced a two-year, up to 2.6 billion won contract with Choi Hyung-woo on December 3rd. As a ‘C-class’ free agent, Samsung will also pay a 1.5 billion won compensation fee – 150% of Choi’s previous year’s salary – to the KIA Tigers, bringing the total investment to 4.1 billion won.
This move marks a return to his former team for Choi Hyung-woo, who left Samsung for the KIA Tigers in 2016, signing a four-year, 10 billion won free agent contract. He’s back in familiar territory after a decade.
Choi Hyung-woo, the oldest active player in the KBO League this season, was honored with the ‘Record of the Year’ award at the ceremony.
Manager Lee Beom-ho personally presented Choi Hyung-woo with a bouquet, celebrating his accomplishments. Known for his approachable leadership, Lee maintained close relationships with his veteran players. Reflecting on their final conversation, Choi said, “The manager told me, ‘This is really the last time.’”
“It’s over now,” Choi Hyung-woo stated, acknowledging the finality of the move. “There won’t be any more opportunities to face each other as opponents, or to play together. It will be difficult to see each other in any capacity.”
![[OSEN=영등포, 한용섭 기자] 최형우는 4일 서울 영등포 타임스퀘어 CGV 영등포 스크린X관에서 열린 스포츠서울 ‘올해의 상' 시상식에서 올해의 기록상을 수상했다. /orange@osen.co.kr](https://img1.daumcdn.net/thumb/R658x0.q70/?fname=https://t1.daumcdn.net/news/202512/05/poctan/20251205071250452bbce.png)
Samsung manager Park Jin-man was unable to attend the awards ceremony due to a family commitment, becoming the only KBO League manager absent from the event. When asked about his conversation with Park, Choi Hyung-woo said, “We spoke yesterday. We just talked about trying to win a championship.”
Choi Hyung-woo also described a comfortable relationship with Park Jin-man. “Jin-man hyung – I’m usually very reserved, but Manager Park is the only manager I’ve visited in his office. We were roommates when we were both with Samsung, so we’re very close. I think I’ll be able to communicate just as easily with him as I did with Manager Lee.” Park Jin-man and Choi Hyung-woo played together on the Samsung Lions from 2008 to 2010.
Having just switched teams, Choi Hyung-woo attended the awards ceremony as a Samsung Lion for the first time. “I’ve experienced this before in 2016, so it doesn’t feel particularly strange,” he said. “It doesn’t quite feel real yet, because I haven’t joined the team for training. It will take some time before it truly sinks in.”
Choi Hyung-woo has been in frequent contact with Samsung players like Kang Min-ho and Koo Ja-wook. “I’ve been getting a lot of messages. I’ve been exchanging messages with Min-ho, and also with Ja-wook and Ji-hyeok. I need to quickly become friends with the younger players on the team.” He added with a laugh, “I have a Samsung uniform from nine years ago at home. I have several, but they might be a bit small now.”
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