BUSAN — A proposal has been floated to rebuild Sajik Baseball Stadium as a retractable-roof dome rather than an open-air venue. The aim is to shift the direction of the already approved 292.4 billion won ($211 million) rebuilding project toward a multipurpose stadium that is shielded from the weather and can host both baseball games and concerts.
Seo Ji-young, a National Assembly member of the People Power Party representing Dongnae in Busan, wrote on Facebook on the 21st that "Busan, a city of baseball, needs a dome stadium," adding, "Let's make Sajik Baseball Stadium a retractable dome."
Seo said the rebuilding of the 40-year-old stadium was confirmed last year and that 29.9 billion won in central government funding had been secured out of the total project cost of 292.4 billion won, but the project has been delayed. If the stadium is to be built anew, she argued, a dome design that would reduce game suspensions and cancellations deserves consideration.
She made a cost argument for building on the existing plan. Seo said Busan had previously chosen an open-air stadium costing about 300 billion won over a dome that would have required roughly 1 trillion won. Because the current Sajik rebuilding project is budgeted at around 300 billion won, she said, the possibility of converting it to a dome should be reviewed again.
She also stressed that a dome should serve not only as a baseball venue but as a space capable of hosting concerts and large-scale events. With major cultural and performance events increasing in Busan, securing a stadium with fewer weather constraints would raise the facility's utilization, she said.
"Busan will soon begin gathering public opinion on the Sajik stadium rebuilding and a proposed seaside dome stadium, so Sajik should also be reviewed for both open-air and retractable dome options and put to the choice of residents," Seo said.
