The Samsung Lions, a South Korean professional baseball team, have won their first national championship in 12 years, setting off celebrations that have sent fans rushing to convenience stores and newsstands. Their target is not championship merchandise but newspapers carrying photographs of the team’s long awaited victory.
The Lions compete in the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), South Korea’s top professional baseball league. On November 8, the team captured the Korean Series, the country’s equivalent of Major League Baseball’s World Series, winning the championship four games to one.
The celebrations reveal the passion surrounding baseball in South Korea, where a championship can mean far more than a trophy. Even as fans can instantly access photographs and game highlights online, many Lions supporters are determined to own a printed record of the team’s first title in more than a decade.
By November 9, social media and secondhand marketplaces were filled with requests for newspapers featuring the Lions’ championship celebration. Fans were particularly interested in editions of Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo, two major South Korean daily newspapers, along with sports publications Sports Seoul and Sports Chosun.
Finding those newspapers has proved unexpectedly difficult. Some fans reported visiting multiple convenience stores and contacting distributors without success. Others shared photographs of their purchases after searching several locations.
One supporter described finally locating a store with newspapers remaining, only to discover that a particular edition had just one copy left. Another said it took five attempts to find the desired newspapers before purchasing copies from three different publications.
Other fans reported searching their neighborhoods in the rain without finding a single copy. The shortage prompted requests on social media from supporters hoping to purchase or exchange newspapers with fellow collectors.
The excitement eventually reached online resale platforms. One sports newspaper featuring a front page photograph of the Lions’ championship celebration was listed for $75, although there was no confirmation that it sold at that price.
Similar scenes unfolded in 2023 when the LG Twins, another South Korean professional baseball team, won the Korean Series. Fans rushed to collect newspapers commemorating the victory, prompting Sports Seoul to print an additional 1,000 copies of its championship edition.
The newspaper ultimately distributed 2,000 copies, including special editions reproducing coverage of the Twins’ 1994 championship.
The latest rush reflects the emotional significance of a long awaited baseball championship in South Korea. Digital photographs may preserve the winning moment, but Lions supporters are searching for something they can hold onto. After 12 years without a title, the newspapers documenting their team’s victory have become part of the celebration.
