The Korea Baseball Organization’s KT Wiz signed left fielder and designated hitter Kim Hyun-soo to a three-year contract, Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency reported Tuesday morning.
Kim just finished his eighth season with the LG Twins, helping the organization win its fourth championship and first since 2023 by defeating the Hanwha Eagles in five games. The 37-year-old took home the Korean Series MVP trophy, batting .529 with a home run and eight RBIs in 17 at-bats.
According to Yoo, Kim’s contract with the Wiz is worth 5 billion won ($3.4 million). The former Major League Baseball outfielder ranks third on the KBO’s all-time hit list with 2,532 knocks. The Wiz hope the addition of Kim will help them avoid missing out on the postseason for the second consecutive year.
The left-handed hitter returned to the KBO in 2018 after a two-year MLB stint. He played his first one and a half seasons with the Baltimore Orioles before a mid-season trade to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017. In 191 MLB games, Kim had a .719 OPS with seven home runs and 36 RBIs. He hit six of his seven homers in 2016 with the Orioles.
In international competition, Kim represented South Korea in the 2009 and 2013 editions of the World Baseball Classic, and was the 2015 WBSC Premier12 MVP.
In addition to Kim, the Wiz signed outfielder Choi Won-jun to a four-year contract. The former Kia Tigers and NC Dinos speedster has stolen 21 or more bases three times in his nine-year career, and swiped 40 bags in 53 attempts with the Tigers in 2021.
Choi hit .328 with runners in scoring position two seasons ago and posted a .621 OPS with a .242 batting average in 126 games in 2025.
Photo: Kim Hyun-soo hits a solo home run off Japan starting pitcher Shun Yamaguchi in the first inning of their Premier12 baseball tournament final game at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2019. (AP Photo/Toru Takahashi)
