"Guardian of Jangan Gate," added to KT's symbolism

KT said on the 25th, the previous day, "We signed a non-FA multi-year contract with Ko Young-pyo for a total of 10.7 billion won (guaranteed amount of 9.5 billion won, option of 1.2 billion won)."

Ko Young-pyo, who joined KT as a founding member after being nominated in the second round of the rookie draft in 2014, even made his first non-FA multi-year contract history. The 10.7 billion won mark the largest contract ever signed by KT.

On the day of KT, the team delivered an official photo with the news of Ko's contract. One of the photos was taken in front of Janganmun Gate, one of the four major gates of Suwon Hwaseong. The photo was taken as soon as he moved to Janganmun after signing the contract on the morning of the day.

In general, most of the photos attached by the club conveying the player's contract were taken at the club's office or on the ground.

In fact, the photo started with Ko Young-pyo's words, which were posted on his YouTube channel the previous day. In the video, Ko talked about extending the contract with his teammates Eom Sang-baek and Cho Young-joon. When Cho Young-joon said, "Suwon's everything," Ko Young-pyo said, "I'll be the gatekeeper."

And when the contract was signed on this day, he started taking a commemorative photo for Ko Young-pyo, who promised to be a "jang-door gatekeeper."

A club official said, "Ko Young-pyo is a franchise star (a player representing the club and region) of the team based in Suwon," adding, "We will take a picture at Janganmun, one of Suwon landmarks."

In professional baseball, it is very rare to take an official photo at a place that symbolizes a region and distribute it with a contract. It is also the first time for a KT team to take a photo of a player in front of Janganmun Gate. A photo taken at a local attraction can be a special gift to fans in their hometown.

Earlier, several professional soccer clubs, including Jeju United, Ulsan Hyundai, and Suwon FC, received good responses with photos of recruiting players from local landmarks.

What's more, KT, the youngest team that debuted in the main league in 2015, has a very special presence as a franchise star. With this photo, Ko has acquired the symbol of KT and Suwon as well.

Ko Young-pyo had an ERA of 55 wins, 50 losses, and seven holds in 231 games. Since 2021, he has achieved double-digit wins for three consecutive years, recording 63 quality starts (QS, more than six innings, three earned runs or less) and taking charge of the KT mound with steady and stable performances.

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