{
  "id": 15568927,
  "title": "KBO regular-season champions Wiz reward manager with record contract",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/kbo-regular-season-champions-wiz-reward-manager-with-record-contract-15568927",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T06:12:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/sports/20261019/kbo-regular-season-champions-wiz-reward-manager-with-record-contract"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The KT Wiz, regular-season champions in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), announced Monday that they have rewarded their manager, Lee Kang-chul, with a record-breaking contract. The Wiz signed Lee to a three-year deal valued at 3.4 billion won, equivalent to $2.6 million, setting a new standard for the highest-paid manager within the KBO. The new contract includes an annual salary of 800 million won, plus a signing bonus of 1 billion won. This deal exceeds the previous record set by the LG Twins' manager Youm Kyoung-youb, who signed a three-year, 3 billion-won contract last November. Prior to this season, Lee's existing three-year contract was set to expire. Lee has been in charge of the Wiz since 2019 and led the team to their first postseason appearance in 2020, followed by securing their first-ever Korean Series title in 2021. This year, the Wiz achieved a franchise-record 90 wins, securing the top spot in the regular season and advancing directly to the Korean Series, which begins November 2. The Wiz have made the postseason in six out of Lee's eight seasons at the helm. The 60-year-old manager boasts an impressive record of 618 wins, 501 losses, and 29 ties in 1,148 regular-season games with the Wiz.",
  "summary": "The Korean baseball regular-season champions KT Wiz rewarded their manager, Lee Kang-chul, with a record contract Monday. The Wiz said they signed Lee to a new three-year deal worth 3.4 billion won ($2.6 million), making him the highest-paid manager in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history. Lee will make 800 million won in annual salary and received a signing bonus of 1 billion won. Lee's…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yonhap News",
        "title": "KBO regular-season champions Wiz reward manager with record contract",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/kbo-regular-season-champions-wiz-reward-manager-with-record-contract",
        "published": "2026-10-19T05:29:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "KBO regular-season champions Wiz reward manager with record contract",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/kbo-regular-season-champions-wiz-reward-manager-with-record-contract-15572366",
        "published": "2026-10-19T06:47:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}