"Started with Lotte, finishing with Lotte"… Kim Min-seong's retirement ceremony to be held at the October 9 Sajik game against LG

Lotte infielder Kim Min-seong (37) is wrapping up a 20-season playing career. His retirement ceremony will be held at the Sajik game against LG on October 9, and he finishes with 1,476 career hits (as of 10.02).

Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.

Three-Line Summary

According to KBO records (as of 10.02), Kim Min-seong recorded 1,476 hits, 137 home runs and 772 RBIs in 1,844 career games.
The retirement ceremony will be held at the Sajik game against LG on October 9, and a fan autograph session is scheduled to begin at 12:20 p.m.
After signing an FA contract with LG in 2024 worth up to 900 million won over 3 years, he was traded and returned to Lotte after 14 years.

1,476 hits. That is the number of hits Kim Min-seong (37, Lotte) piled up over 20 seasons. He fell just 24 short of 1,500. Sports Kyunghyang reported on the 2nd, citing a Lotte club announcement, that he is retiring as a player.

Kim Min-seong's Career Stats: 1,844 Games, 1,476 Hits, 137 Home Runs

KBO official records (as of 2026.10.02) show that Kim Min-seong played in the regular season 1,844 games with a batting average of 0.266. Spread over 20 seasons, that works out to about 92 games a year.

Category	Career	2026 season
Games (G)	1,844	17
Hits	1,476	4
Home runs	137	1
RBIs	772	4
Batting average	0.266	0.138

His prime came during his time as Nexen's starting third baseman. In the 2016 season, he ranked second in the league with 39 doubles. His career home run total differs by source. Korean Wikipedia lists "1,827 games, 134 home runs," but the official KBO record says 137. Even adding the 1 he hit this year to the Wikipedia figure gives 135, which doesn't match, so this article follows the KBO record.

Lotte → Nexen → LG → Lotte, Including Two Sign-and-Trades

Born on December 17, 1988, he is a right-handed-throwing, right-handed-hitting infielder who wears number 16. Daily Sports Hankook reports that he was picked by Lotte in Round 2 of the 2nd-stage draft at the 2007 rookie draft. In 2010, he left for Nexen (now Kiwoom) in a trade involving Hwang Jae-gyun.

Period	Team	How he joined
2007-2010	Lotte	Round 2 pick in the 2nd-stage rookie draft
2010-2018	Nexen (now Kiwoom)	Trade (involving Hwang Jae-gyun)
2019-2023	LG	FA sign-and-trade
2024-2026	Lotte	FA sign-and-trade (1-for-1 with Kim Min-su)

During his time at LG, he is reported to have helped the team win its first Korean Series title in 29 years in 2023. Both of his FA contracts were sign-and-trades, which is a rare track record. In that arrangement, a player signs a contract with his previous team and is moved to another team right afterward. He said of his retirement, "It is meaningful that I started with Lotte and am finishing with Lotte."

Kim Min-seong's FA Contract: 900 Million Won, Including a 200 Million Won Signing Bonus and 200 Million Won in Options

Busan Ilbo reports that on January 26, 2024, Kim Min-seong signed with LG for up to 3 years (2+1), worth a total of 900 million won. The terms were a 200 million won signing bonus, 500 million won in total salary and 200 million won in options. Immediately after signing, he was swapped 1-for-1 with infielder Kim Min-su, which brought him back after 14 years to Lotte.

Kim Min-seong's Retirement Ceremony Schedule, Starting With a 12:20 Fan Autograph Session

According to the club's announcement, the retirement ceremony will take place at the home game against the LG Twins at Sajik Stadium on October 9. A fan autograph session is scheduled to begin at 12:20 p.m. that day at the Media Wall on the 1st floor of Sajik Stadium. The game's start time has not yet been confirmed.

1. Fan autograph session (12:20 p.m., 1st-floor Media Wall) 2. Presentation of bouquets by both teams' players 3. Screening of career highlights video 4. Reading of retirement address 5. Ceremonial first pitch and swing by family

Some details are still undecided. It has not been announced whether Kim Min-seong will be on the roster for his retirement game and step to the plate himself. His future plans, such as coaching training, have also not been made public.

The retirement announcement and event schedule were confirmed only in 1 report by Sports Kyunghyang as of the 2nd. His career figures may also change depending on whether he plays in the remaining games. Closing out his 1,844 games, Kim Min-seong said his farewell this way: "Thanks to the unforgettable love of the fans, I was able to stand on the field for 20 long years. I sincerely thank all of you."

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. When and where is Kim Min-seong's retirement ceremony?

It will be held during the Lotte-LG game at Sajik Stadium on October 9, 2026. A fan autograph session will take place first at the 1st-floor Media Wall at 12:20 p.m., and his family is scheduled to handle the ceremonial first pitch and swing.

Q. How old is Kim Min-seong?

Born on December 17, 1988, he will be 37 years old by international age on the day of the retirement ceremony. He played 20 seasons after joining Lotte in 2007.

Q. How many career home runs does Kim Min-seong have?

The official KBO record (as of 2026.10.02) says 137. Korean Wikipedia lists 134, but because that does not match the KBO record, the official record was used as the standard.

Related Official Sites

KBO Official Records — Kim Min-seong Player Page — View season-by-season stats and player profile
KBO Official Records — Kim Min-seong Career Stats — See his 20-season career batting stats at a glance

Representative image · File photo · Not an on-site photo of the game in this article · Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Cheolstar), CC BY-SA 3.0