Seoul: The Kiwoom Heroes, the last-place club in South Korean baseball this season, announced that they have promoted interim manager Seol Jong-jin to take over as their full-time bench boss. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club signed Seol, 52, to a two-year contract worth 600 million won (US$425,530), with an annual salary of 200 million won and a signing bonus of 200 million won.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Seol, who served as the Heroes' minor league manager for six seasons starting in 2020, took over from Hong Won-ki as interim skipper on July 14. At that time, the Heroes were in last place in the 10-team league with a win-loss-tie record of 27-61-3. Under Seol's leadership, the Heroes have improved slightly, posting a record of 20-30-1, the eighth-best record in the KBO during that period.

"I'd like to thank the club for giving me this opportunity," Seol said. "I will do my best to help the team take the next step during my tenure."

The Heroes had previously reached the Korean Series three years ago, losing to the SSG Landers in six games. However, they finished in last place in each of the next two seasons. The team faced challenges as they missed key players like former league MVP Lee Jung-hoo and starting pitcher An Woo-jin due to injuries. Lee left for Major League Baseball after the 2023 season, and another All-Star member, infielder Kim Hye-seong, also joined the majors last offseason.

The Heroes virtually secured the worst record in the league before the All-Star break this year. With two games remaining this season, they are 13 games behind the ninth-ranked Doosan Bears.