KBO regular-season champions Wiz reward manager with record contract

Seoul, October 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean baseball champions KT Wiz inked a record contract with their manager, Lee Kang-chul, on Monday. The Wiz announced a three-year deal worth 3.4 billion won (US$2.6 million), making Lee the highest-paid manager in KBO history. The generous contract includes an annual salary of 800 million won and a signing bonus of 1 billion won.

This surpasses the previous highest contract, a three-year, 3 billion-won agreement signed by LG Twins manager Youm Kyoung-youb in November last year. Lee, who has been Wiz's manager since 2019, oversaw the team to their first postseason appearance in 2020 and their first Korean Series title in 2021. This year, the Wiz broke a franchise record with 90 wins in the regular season and advanced directly to the Korean Series, set to commence on November 2.

The Wiz secured postseason appearances in six of Lee's eight seasons at the helm. The 60-year-old manager has compiled 618 wins, 501 losses, and 29 ties in 1,148 regular-season games with the Wiz. Lee expressed gratitude towards the Wiz management for their support during the season and for offering him such a lucrative contract.

He stated, "Our season is not over yet, and I will try to put the team at the top at the end. I will also try to develop this team into a perennial contender."