메이저사이트The recent relocation of Jeonju KCC has left a deep wound that is difficult to heal for many people. Jeonju and Honam fans who lost their favorite team overnight are not only shocked, but also despairing, and former legends who have fond memories of playing for KCC are not hiding their regrets.
With the loss of the only basketball team in the Honam region, there are also concerns about the imbalance between certain regions. With KCC’s move to Busan, a whopping four teams (Changwon LG, Ulsan Hyundai Mobis, Daegu Korea Gas Corporation, and Busan KCC) are concentrated in Gyeongsangnam-do alone. This compares to two teams in Seoul, three in Gyeonggi Province, and one in Gangwon Province. Honam and Chungcheong do not have a single team.
I don’t know if there’s ever been a case in the history of professional sports where 40% of the teams are concentrated in a single region, which is why the phrase “the KBL has become the Gyeongsangbuk-do league” doesn’t sound like an exaggeration. It also defeats the purpose of the KBL, which is to accommodate basketball fans from all over the country. If you look at the Korean Baseball Organization’s KIA Tigers and Hanwha Eagles, you will realize that they have moved to the Yeongnam region.
Despite the situation, Jeonju City, which bears a large part of the responsibility, has been criticized by fans for its unconvincing excuses and lack of follow-up. KCC’s relocation was unfortunate, but it was Jeonju’s mistake that provided the excuse and reason for the move in the first place. After deciding to leave Jeonju, KCC approached Busan City and hoped to attract Gunsan City with good support conditions.
If the team had switched to Gunsan, it is expected that there would not have been much backlash because it is in the same Jeolla Province as Jeonju. They could have remained the only team in the Honam region. Unfortunately, KCC chose Busan, and the 22-year relationship between KCC and Jeonbuk came to an end. KCC is a national club that doesn’t care about regions. It’s one of those rare teams that can draw clouds of spectators regardless of the size of its home city. That’s their power and charm. If they had gone to Gunsan, it is clear that Gunsan would have benefited from the development without realizing it.
In the meantime, what upset the fans even more was Jeonju’s row with the pint. According to the Jeonju side, the KCC had no time to react to the situation because the KCC had closed the communication channel and handled things one after another. It’s true that KCC moved quickly to resolve the situation. However, if Jeonju knew what KCC was to the fans of Jeonju and Honam, they should have gone even faster than that. That is the natural response and the administrative ability that the fans deserve.
Jeonju did not do that. In fact, if you look at the process and results so far, it is reasonable to misunderstand that they just didn’t do it. In particular, the fact that Song Young-jin, chairman of the Jeonju City Council’s Culture and Economy Committee, eight members of the committee, and six employees of the Jeonju City Council went to Jeju Island for three days and four nights on the 28th was enough to shock many people. The fact that 14 lawmakers and six members of the Jeonju City Council traveled to Jeju Island for four days and three nights was enough to shock many people.
In the case of Representative S, who attended the Jeju Island training at the Ministry of Tourism, he was known to have expressed negative opinions about KCC in the past, but even when the relocation was confirmed, he said, ‘KCC looks down on Jeonju citizens. Goodbye,” which made fans upset. The lawmaker has been refraining from communicating with the outside world as much as possible, including turning off his cell phone as protests from citizens poured in.
Angry public sentiment is poised to continue into the next election. Choi Chul-woong (47, Ansan) said, “When I ask my hometown elders and juniors, they all agree that they are disappointed in Jeonju and North Jeolla. It’s not just that they lost their basketball team, KCC, but that they lost in every aspect of the process, including effort, rationale, follow-up, head battles, and media play. I don’t know if they can do anything else right, and everyone is saying, “Let’s wait and see in the next election.
Most unfortunate of all are those who came in as members of Jeonju KCC and were not even allowed to say hello to Jeonju fans. KCC acquired Daeye Choi Jun-yong (29‧200.2cm), who may be the final piece of the puzzle for the offseason championship. For KCC, whose leading guard is considered a weakness, the best point forward in the league is considered the best piece. Jeonju fans showed their high expectations by changing the name of the team from ‘Jun Dragon’ to ‘Jeonju Dragon’.
The return of former Samsung head coach Lee Sang-min (51‧183cm) to the coaching ranks was also a hot topic during the off-season. Lee is the original KCC superstar. He was one of the most iconic figures of the KCC, with his outstanding skills and huge fan following. Unfortunately, Seo Jang-hoon and Lim Jae-hyun moved to Samsung as compensation for their free agency, leaving KCC with a sore finger. Therefore, many Jeonju and Honam fans welcomed him back with both hands.
Jeonju fans are also interested in the new foreign player Alize Johnson (27-201 cm), who is a skinny forward who can play the three or four, and has been compared to LonDae’s Hollis Jefferson (28‧198 cm), who played with him last season. However, compared to Jefferson, who only specializes in scoring, he is known to have strengths in rebounding and passing, and is expected to be compatible with the existing long forward lineup.
When Choi Jun-yong, Lee Sang-min, and Johnson joined the Aegis, their home port was Jeonju. Fans from Jeonju and Honam, as well as countless returnees from across the country, waited for the new season to begin. Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed. They didn’t even say hello to each other. It was a tragedy for the fans whose shrimp lanterns exploded in the whale fight.