Lotte Giants Conclude 'Military Series' Honoring Armed Forces

The Lotte Giants professional baseball team has wrapped up their 'Military Series,' a special event held throughout June to honor South Korea's armed forces. The series culminated on June 25 with a 'Navy Operations Command Match Day' held at the Busan Sajik Baseball Stadium. This final event aimed to express gratitude to the soldiers who serve the nation.

During the series, the Giants players donned special military-inspired uniforms, designed with motifs from the navy's service dress. The 'Navy Operations Command Match Day' featured a pre-game exhibition booth by the Navy, showcasing its public relations efforts. On the field, members of the Navy Operations Command Taekwondo team performed impressive demonstrations of poomsae and breaking techniques.

The ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Petty Officer Second Class Cho Seo-yoon, who serves aboard the ROKS Cheonwangbong, a landing ship. She is also the granddaughter of the late Cho Gyeong-gyu, a veteran of the Battle of the Korea Strait during the Korean War. The ceremonial first pitch was then taken by her father, Cho Yong-hoon, a former Marine Corps enlistee (ROKMC 326th class). Previously, on June 24, the ceremonial first pitch and first hit were performed by Warrant Officer Hwang Ji-hyun, the first female senior warrant officer in the Navy, and Staff Sergeant Kang Jeong-hak, who donated bone marrow to save a life, respectively.