In the first episode of the 2022 baseball documentary Hanwha Eagles: Clubhouse, a member of the club's staff makes a painful but objective assessment. ‘We've become a team that everyone thinks is ridiculous.’ Park Chan-hyeok took over as CEO of the Hanwha Eagles in 2021 after the team finished last in the KBO league for six consecutive seasons, and during his three-and-a-half-year tenure, he turned the team around with all his might. When he stepped down in 2024, the team finished eighth out of 10 teams. While this is still an unsatisfactory ranking, the Hanwha Eagles are no longer a joke or a team to be taken lightly by anyone.

Dreamed of becoming a sports agent at a foreign language high school

What kind of student were you in high school?

When I went to a foreign language high school, I was able to meet friends from different backgrounds with different personalities in a completely new environment, and I started to think about my identity. I remember having a career counselling session with my homeroom teacher in my senior year of high school, where I told her I wanted to work in a sports-related job, and she scolded me in front of my parents, saying, ‘Well, this boy says he wants to be a servant who carries heavy loads.’ I was even called a disgrace to the school. But as we walked out of the school, my mother said to me, ‘Is saying that you want to do what you want to do something to get you in trouble?' My mother, a newspaper journalist, was a very open-minded person, and having my parents believe in me like that made me determined to make something of myself.

Had you already started dreaming about the sports industry around that time?

I've been a sports fanatic since I was a kid, and I was a huge NBA (National Basketball Association) fan in the days of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. I was obsessed with people like David Stern, the NBA commissioner who ushered in the golden age of American basketball on a global scale, and I thought it was so cool to call him the commissioner of NBA (laughs).

‘Front Life’ had already started on the KU campus

I think you would have been a great fit at KU.

From the first time I saw the KU campus, my heart was racing. I thought, ‘This is the place for me!’ I actively participated in the activities of the central basketball club ‘Nongyeon’ and the intramural sports room run by the Sports Council. In particular, although there are many intramural sports leagues in universities abroad, at the time Korea University was the only university in Korea that had such a league. I can't tell you how much fun I had organizing and running intramural leagues. In both the basketball club and the intramural sports room, there was a lot of interaction with friends from other departments such as law, engineering, and literature. I gained experiences I wouldn't trade for anything, with friends of all different stripes and abilities.

So you had already started your life as a ‘front’ (the administrative department in sports) on campus.

I practically lived in the gymnasium and training centre of the University of Science and Technology, where the athletic teams were based. I stayed in their accommodation and attended all their training sessions. To this day, some of my classmates still think of me as a former student athlete (laughs). Looking back, I realize that I gained a greater natural understanding of and connection with elite athletes. It's been a tremendous asset.

From a PhD in physical education to an advertiser, financier and sportsperson

Tell us about your journey since graduating from Korea University.

After completing my PhD in physical education at Korea University, I did a post-doctoral fellowship at Ohio State University in the U.S. with the help of a state fund. Everyone thought I was preparing to become a professor, but living in the U.S. opened up new worlds and perspectives, and I realized that these clothes I had been wearing were not mine. I realized I had to take them off.

When I was in my mid-30s, I applied for an entry-level job through open recruitment at Cheil Worldwide Inc. after completing my postdoc. I was lucky enough to get the job and started in a career position. It was an unfamiliar environment, and I felt like I wasn't as good as my younger colleagues, so I worked for five years without any holidays, learning as I went. I had great colleagues, so it was like joining a marketing military academy. However, I was convinced that I couldn't just copy what everyone else was doing, so I developed my expertise in sports marketing with the determination to be a pioneer. At Hanwha Group, I also worked in sports affairs and brand marketing, where I learnt the importance of business responsibility and political balance. In the course of working for Cheil Worldwide Inc., Hanwha Life Corp., and Hanwha Group, my career spanned the spectrum from being part of the hosting of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and the 2011 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Daegu, Korea, to collaborating with top international clubs such as Chelsea FC, SF Giants, and Juventus, to sponsoring athletes Heungmin Son, Yuna Kim, and Joohyung Kim, as well as sponsoring the KFA, KBL, and KBO, and managing golf tournaments with the LPGA, KLPGA, and KPGA. I've won many prestigious awards such as the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, Red Dot Design Awards, and iF Design Awards, accolades which are unprecedented in the domestic sports marketing industry.

Motto, be straightforward in life

You made the switch from PhD student to entry-level employee in your mid-30s, and rather than being a late bloomer, I think you've gone at a faster pace since then.

My motto is ‘be straightforward in life’ (laughs). Building a clear set of beliefs and living life to the best of your ability moment by moment is the life I pursue. I believe that if you don't duck and dodge every difficult moment, but instead take the bull by the horns, that is the right path. Since my experience with high school career counselling, I've taken the paths that everyone told me I couldn't take, such as doing my post-doc abroad, joining an advertising company, and applying to be involved in the sports field, which was unpromising at the time. So while I've always sensed the honor of being one of the first to go in a certain direction, I've also struggled with the pressure and frustration of having to make it alone. That's why I'm especially grateful for the footprints I’ve laid down in my life. I think this attitude of taking on challenges and pushing forward in life has a lot to do with the KU spirit that I've inadvertently imbibed. I'm grateful that it has given me the strength to stand tall when times got tough, and that it has become my own reference point.

Three and a half years at the Hanwha Eagles, a time of bitterness and glory

After shaking up the KBO as head of the marketing department of the Hanwha Eagles, creating the mascot ‘Suri’ and revamping the uniforms, he returned in 2021 as the team's CEO. For the next three and a half years, he took on the greatest challenge of all.

The 2021 season slogan ‘THIS IS OUR WAY’ was in effect when you took office, and was very powerful. What was the most important thing for you as President?

Believing that ‘a strong team is built on a strong foundation,’ we wanted to complete a rebuild of the team within five years. This included everything from team performance and front expertise to infrastructure such as a new stadium and the building of a self-sustaining business for the club. Domestic sports clubs have always failed to create ‘club time’ due to their absolute dependence on the parent company and a lack of personnel and budgetary control. In moments when you need to think fast and make immediate decisions, it's easy to get the timing wrong because you're stuck between reporting to your parent company and getting approval. I set myself the challenge of building a virtuous circle of self-sustainability for the club, which in turn would lead to improved performance, which would then lead to an expanding fanbase. The ultimate goal was to win the championship in five years.

The anecdote of you visiting the parent company's subsidiaries and personally giving presentations went viral among KBO fans.

Yes, we more than tripled our external advertising revenue by diligently attracting advertisements not only from group companies, but also from companies in Seoul and the team’s hometown. Based on the new business model, we were the first in Korea to create a club digital channel department and separate design and sales sections in order to establish a successful revenue model. The club's own business income grew by 250% without relying on the parent organization. The first player to join the club on the basis of this increased income was Chae Eun-sung, the first free agent in seven years, followed by Lee Tae-yang and Ahn Chi-hong, who chose the Eagles over better offers from other clubs, and then there was the return of Ryu Hyun-jin. Their annual salaries were covered by the club's own revenue, which is probably the first and only such case in the country.

The Eagles' aggressive FA moves have been nothing short of incredible, bringing in veteran after veteran.

From the perspective of a front office, signing a player is one of the most nerve-wracking and cautious things we do. It's like proposing to someone you love. We worked on Ryu Hyun-jin for almost a year. While we were dining, I asked him, ‘Now, rather than considering money or fame, why not return to your hometown and end your career as a player in the spirit of giving back with your talent,' and he choked up a little and said ‘That's right, more than anything, I want to finish with the Eagles while I still have the skills.' I was touched by Ryu's sincerity.

REBUILDING IS OVER, The most heated three-and-a-half years with the Eagles

In 2024, you ran with the slogan ‘REBUILDING IS OVER,’ but you stepped down mid-season.

We made a big splash in the league at the start of 2024, in first place. But we knew that our skills were not that good, so as the later losses piled up, the entire team became more anxious. My initial high hopes turned to disappointment and then to anger, and it was clear that if I, as the CEO, couldn't take charge, the team would struggle for years. Despite the naysayers around me, I don't have any regrets because I feel like I stuck to the standards of responsibility I've built up in my life. I have no doubt about the growth we've achieved in the three and a half years we've been transforming the club with a five-year goal. It's just that the end point is not in my hands. After I announced my resignation, the team called me into the clubhouse, where the captain gave me a gift and a big hug. The connection I had and the stories I shared with each and every one of the players flashed through my mind and my heart grew warm. I feel like my three and a half years at Hanwha Eagles has formed a big pillar in my life. I'm most sorry that we haven't been able to show the fans consistently good performance, but I'm 100% confident that the behind the scenes growth of the last three years will pay off in the next 1-2 years. I would appreciate it if you could support the players a little more. The three and a half years I have spent as CEO of the Hanwha Eagles have been a very honorable time in my life, and I will never forget that.

He is enjoying the short break from his intense life and looking for a new direction in life. His favorite Eagles slogan was ‘THIS IS OUR WAY’. Best wishes for him on his new path, the straight path, as we will soon see.

SPECIAL : A message from former Hanwha Eagles CEO Park Chan-hyeok, "To KU students who dream of entering the sports industry"

# KU's academic style, especially the teamwork and enterprising nature of KU students, is similar to the qualities required in the sports industry.

# Social life is a very complex web of interests, and if you don't have a solid philosophy or framework of thought, it's easy to get caught up in the trends of the moment. But I've seen KU alumni across society who maintain their identity as a ‘KU alumnus’ and are determined to fight for the greater good. I hope my juniors will continue to retain that spirit.

# Success in the sports industry is not something you can achieve with mere ideas at your comfortable desk. You need to get your hands dirty and try to understand the nature of the industry. Hopefully, you'll be able to gain plenty of experience and set your own firm direction with the great assets that can be gained at KU, such as authenticity, prudence, initiative, and networking.

# It's one thing to follow a path that's been laid down for you, but it's another to find something you truly love to do and immerse yourself in it. There will be fears along the way, but I'm confident that as a KU alumnus, you have what it takes to overcome them.

# You'll hear people talking about the risks and concerns of the sporting industry, but they're actually quite manageable. I want you to instill in yourself the belief that you can handle the challenges that come your way, rather than worrying about the odds of success or what others think. And once you've done that, dive in.