Ryu Hyun-jin's Salary Over Three Years Since Returning to Hanwha: 2.5 Billion→2 Billion→2.1 Billion Won…How the 17 Billion Won Contract Is Distributed
Ryu Hyun-jin's published salary for the 2026 season is 2.1 billion won, tied for 4th among domestic players. It is 25 million won less than the 2.125 billion won annual average of his Hanwha contract.
Translated from Korean with AI assistance. Read the original. Sources and original publication dates are retained.
Three-line summary
- Ryu Hyun-jin's 2026 season salary, as published by the KBO, is 2.1 billion won, tied for 4th among domestic players and tied for 2nd among pitchers.
- His Hanwha return contract covers the 2024–2031 seasons, 8 years, for a total of 17 billion won, with an arithmetic annual average of 2.125 billion won.
- Published salaries were 2.5 billion won in 2024, 2 billion won in 2025, and 2.1 billion won in 2026, for a three-season total of 6.6 billion won.
On March 18, 2026, the KBO published the team salary data. Ryu Hyun-jin's name was listed alongside 2.1 billion won. Two years earlier it was 2.5 billion won, and last year it was 2 billion won. The contract is one, but the amount changed every year. Add to that the annual average of 2.125 billion won, derived by dividing 17 billion won over 8 years, and there are several numbers.
Ryu Hyun-jin's Salary 2.1 Billion Won, Tied for 4th Among Domestic Players in 2026
KBO salary disclosure shows Ryu Hyun-jin's 2026 season salary as 2.1 billion won. Excluding rookies, foreign players, and Asia quota players, he is tied for 4th among domestic players. 1st-place Yang Eui-ji (Doosan) earns 4.2 billion won, exactly 2 times Ryu's salary. The gap with 2nd-place Ko Young-pyo (KT, 2.6 billion won) is 500 million won, and with 3rd-place Choi Jeong (SSG, 2.2 billion won) it is 100 million won. Among pitchers only, he is tied for 2nd, right behind Ko Young-pyo.
| Rank | Player | Team·Position | 2026 season salary | Difference from Ryu Hyun-jin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yang Eui-ji | Doosan·Catcher | 4.2 billion won | +2.1 billion won |
| 2 | Ko Young-pyo | KT·Pitcher | 2.6 billion won | +500 million won |
| 3 | Choi Jeong | SSG·Infielder | 2.2 billion won | +100 million won |
| Tied 4th | Ryu Hyun-jin | Hanwha·Pitcher | 2.1 billion won | — |
| Tied 4th | Park Se-woong | Lotte·Pitcher | 2.1 billion won | 0 won |
The player earning the same 2.1 billion won is Lotte's Park Se-woong (30). Some ranking pages list the two as 4th and 5th. But since the amounts are identical, they should be ranked as tied for 4th, as in the Newspim report. Park Se-woong's salary rose 750 million won from 1.35 billion won the previous year. The increase rate is about 56%.
Salary by season in the 3 years since his return: 2.5 billion→2 billion→2.1 billion won
| Season | Published salary | Change from prior year | Domestic rank | Players at the same rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2.5 billion won | — | Tied 1st | Park Dong-won |
| 2025 | 2 billion won | -500 million won (-20%) | Tied 2nd | Ko Young-pyo, Ku Ja-wook |
| 2026 | 2.1 billion won | +100 million won (+5%) | Tied 4th | Park Se-woong |
His first season back, 2024, salary was 2.5 billion won, tying him for 1st with Park Dong-won. In 2025 it fell by 500 million won to 2 billion won, tied for 2nd with Ko Young-pyo and Ku Ja-wook. In 2026 it rose by 100 million won to 2.1 billion won. Yet his rank fell two spots, because the number of players earning more than 2.1 billion won rose from 1 to 3.
The amount differs each year because he receives the 17 billion won total in different amounts each season. When the contract was announced in February 2024, season-by-season salaries were not disclosed. Since the KBO publishes figures each year, it cannot be said that even current salaries remain undisclosed.
Hanwha contract of 17 billion won, difference from the 2.125 billion won annual average
Kyunghyang Shinmun reports that Ryu Hyun-jin signed with Hanwha on February 22, 2024. The deal is worth 17 billion won in total over 8 seasons, 2024–2031. Hanwha announced that he will receive the full amount as salary with no separate signing bonus, and that the contract includes an opt-out clause (a right allowing the player to end the contract early).
So when you search for “Ryu Hyun-jin salary,” two figures come up together. One is the annual average of 2.125 billion won, which is 17 billion won divided by 8. The other is the 2.1 billion won for the 2026 season that the KBO published. The annual average shows the contract's size per year, while the published figure is the salary actually reported for that year. The difference between them is 25 million won.
Toronto's 4-year, $80 million contract compared with his MLB years
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Toronto Blue Jays contract covered the 2020–2023 seasons, 4 years, for a total of $80 million. It had no signing bonus, and he received $20 million in equal amounts each year. The Hanwha contract lasts twice as long, 8 years. It also has no signing bonus, but the season amounts were 2.5 billion, 2 billion, and 2.1 billion won, differing each year.
| Category | Toronto Blue Jays | Hanwha Eagles |
|---|---|---|
| Term | 2020–2023 seasons (4 years) | 2024–2031 seasons (8 years) |
| Total | $80 million | 17 billion won |
| Annual average | $20 million | 2.125 billion won |
| Signing bonus | None | None |
| Season-by-season amount | Same every year | 2.5 billion→2 billion→2.1 billion won |
We did not convert the two contracts into won for comparison. The Toronto total reflects only the contract size and cannot be treated as the same as actual payments, which account for factors such as a shortened season.
Ryu Hyun-jin, Age 39: Profile with 200 Wins and 2,500 Strikeouts
Ryu was born March 25, 1987, and as of October 2026 is 39 years old. In 2006 he joined Hanwha as the overall No. 2 pick in the first round of the second draft. That year he won 18 games with a 2.23 ERA and 204 strikeouts, winning the pitcher triple crown, and he took home both the regular-season MVP and Rookie of the Year awards. He has won the KBO strikeout title 5 times (2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2012).
On May 24, 2026, in a game against Doosan at Daejeon, adding his 122 KBO wins to 78 MLB wins gave him a combined Korea-U.S. career total of 200 wins, reaching the milestone. He is the second Korean pitcher to do so, after Song Jin-woo. On July 19, against Kiwoom, he became the first Korean pitcher to reach 2,500 combined Korea-U.S. career strikeouts.
Remaining 5 seasons: 10.4 billion won, what has and hasn't been confirmed
To summarize the key figures: Ryu's Hanwha contract covers the 2024–2031 seasons, 8 years, for 17 billion won, with an annual average of 2.125 billion won. Published salaries were 2.5 billion won in 2024, 2 billion won in 2025, and 2.1 billion won in 2026, for a three-season total of 6.6 billion won. Assuming the total contract amount stays the same, subtracting 6.6 billion won from 17 billion won leaves 10.4 billion won for the 5 seasons from 2027 to 2031.
The 10.4 billion won figure is our calculation of the total minus published salaries. Public sources have not confirmed how the remaining seasons are paid. Because there is an opt-out clause, it cannot be assumed the contract will run to the end. Published salary is neither the take-home pay after taxes nor total income including endorsements and sponsorships.
We will update the table above at the next KBO salary release ahead of the 2027 season, and reflect any corrections if they are announced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is Ryu Hyun-jin's salary?
According to the KBO's March 18, 2026 disclosure, his 2026 season salary is 2.1 billion won. He is tied for 4th among domestic players with Park Se-woong, and tied for 2nd among pitchers.
Q. How old is Ryu Hyun-jin?
He was born March 25, 1987, and as of October 2026 is 39 years old. He debuted with Hanwha in 2006, played for the LA Dodgers and Toronto, and returned to Hanwha in 2024.
Q. What is the total value of Ryu Hyun-jin's Hanwha contract?
It is 17 billion won for the 8 seasons from 2024 to 2031. He receives the full amount as salary with no signing bonus, the contract includes an opt-out clause, and the arithmetic annual average is 2.125 billion won.
Related official sites
- KBO official website — Annual player salary disclosures and league notices
- KBO official player record for Ryu Hyun-jin — KBO season-by-season and career pitching records
- MLB official career record for Ryu Hyun-jin — Major League records from his Dodgers and Toronto years
Representative image · File photo · Not a photo of the current game in the article · Photo=Wikimedia Commons (Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA), CC BY-SA 2.0
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