{
  "id": 12589997,
  "title": "Top KBO draft pick receives largest rookie signing bonus",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/top-kbo-draft-pick-receives-largest-rookie-signing-bonus-12589997",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-07T09:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20261007/top-kbo-draft-pick-receives-largest-rookie-signing-bonus"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Kiwoom Heroes, a team in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), made a record-breaking move in Wednesday's draft when they signed their top pick, 18-year-old Ha Hyun-seung, with the largest rookie signing bonus in league history. The bonus, amounting to 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million), surpasses the previous record set in 2006 when the Kia Tigers gave Han Ki-joo 1 billion won. Ha, an all-around talent, was selected first overall at the annual KBO draft last month. Throughout his high school years at Busan High School, Ha showcased his prowess as both a pitcher and a hitter. In the 2023 draft, the Heroes' general manager, Huh Seung-pil, emphasized Ha's dual capabilities, stating that he was a pitcher and position player. During the regular season, Ha demonstrated his pitching prowess with a 4-0 record, a remarkably low 0.39 ERA, and 77 strikeouts across 42 2/3 innings pitched in 15 starts. His offensive skills were equally impressive, batting .383/.495/.593 in 24 games, including three home runs and 21 RBIs. At the U18 Asian Baseball Championship in September, Ha continued his dominance, posting a perfect 3-0 record while allowing no runs over 15 2/3 innings. He struck out 25 batters while only walking two. Notably, he tossed seven shutout innings and limited opponents to just one hit.",
  "summary": "The top selection at this year's Korean baseball draft received the largest rookie signing bonus in league history Wednesday. The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) announced they gave their two-way prospect Ha Hyun-seung a signing bonus of 1.6 billion won ($1.2 million) — easily surpassing the previous record of 1 billion won awarded to former Kia Tigers pitcher Han Ki-joo in…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "Top KBO draft pick receives largest rookie signing bonus",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/top-kbo-draft-pick-receives-largest-rookie-signing-bonus-12586683",
        "published": "2026-10-07T08:21:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Top KBO draft pick receives largest rookie signing bonus",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/07/top-kbo-draft-pick-receives-largest-rookie-signing-bonus",
        "published": "2026-10-07T08:52:04.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}