The Korea Baseball Organization has reached a stalemate on the addition of a tenth team to the league while two governors from separate provinces have each been trying to convince the board that "their bid is the best," according to Jung Min-ho of the KOREA TIMES. Gyeonggi province Governor Kim Moon-soo said, "We have a company that will sponsor the team and have done research on enhancing the environment. All we need is approval." North Jeolla province Governor Kim Wan-joo said that what is more important than the number of fans in the region is "diffusing the current baseball fever to places where people previously could only enjoy games on television by constructing stadiums. By doing so, the KBO can grow in popularity and therefore profit from uncharted areas." Currently, four of the nine KBO teams are based in Gyeonggi province. The governors' fight "to have baseball in their backyard" stems from the belief that having a local club can help "promote unity and create pride among people in the area, providing a healthy leisure activity within the community." Furthermore, the local economy "improves with the initial job creation," followed by a "busier tourism industry with an influx of visitors" (KOREA TIMES, 6/18).
