Former South Korea national team shortstop and 2008 Olympic gold medalist Kim Min-jae has died at the age of 53 following a battle with cancer.
RIP Kim Min-jae:
Ex-WBC, Olympic hero Kim Min-jae dies at 53 https://t.co/12trqz126f
— Dan Kurtz (@MyKBO) January 14, 2026
Kim played 19 seasons in the Korea Baseball Organization with the Lotte Giants (1991–2001), the SK Wyverns (2002–05), and the Hanwha Eagles (2006–09), before transitioning into coaching after his playing career.
작년초에 1999년 플레이오프 7차전 (롯데 vs 삼성) 중계영상있길래 봤었는데..
김민재
10회말 2사만루에서 유격수 땅볼아웃(투수 주형광)
11회초 결승 적시 2루타https://t.co/35xJ8BN7Wahttps://t.co/1yvljJriwB pic.twitter.com/5Z8TY0u0fP— 저장소 (@wonjungarchive) January 14, 2026
Kim was widely respected for his defensive reputation and durability, finishing with 2,113 career games, along with a .247 batting average, 1,503 hits, and 174 stolen bases. He also recorded 228 sacrifice bunts, the most in KBO history.
International career: WBC and Olympic gold
Internationally, Kim represented South Korea at the inaugural 2006 World Baseball Classic, helping the country reach the semifinals, and later played a veteran role on the 2008 Beijing Olympics team that went undefeated on the way to the gold medal.
In the 2006 WBC, Kim appeared in four games, posting a .273/.333/.364 slash line in 11 at-bats, scoring two runs with three hits (including a double) and driving in one run.
Coaching career and final seasons
After retiring in 2009, Kim coached across the KBO, working with the Hanwha Eagles (2009–12), Doosan Bears (2013; 2019–20), KT Wiz (2014–16), Lotte Giants (2017–18), and the SSG Landers (2021–23), before returning to the Giants’ staff ahead of the 2024 season.
Kim was diagnosed with cancer during his first season back on Lotte’s coaching staff. The Giants kept Kim on the payroll and reassigned him to their minor league affiliate out of respect for their former player. He split time between the KBO club and the minor league in 2025, but began experiencing more health problems late last year, and the Giants had planned to ease his workload in 2026 by having him work with players in injury rehabs.
Lotte’s 2025 season
The Lotte Giants did not make the KBO playoffs in 2025, finishing seventh with a 66–72–6 record.
Funeral details
According to the Chosun report, Kim’s funeral has been set up at Room 402 in the Busan Citizens Park, with a 6:30 a.m. departure ceremony scheduled for January 16, and burial at Youngnak Park.
Photo: Kim Min-jae walks through the dugout wearing South Korea’s colors during the 2006 World Baseball Classic, representing his country on the global stage at the inaugural WBC. Source: YouTube
