Shohei Ohtani won¡¯t be the only VIP present at Seoul¡¯s Gocheok Sky Dome on Wednesday as K-pop idols, celebrity athletes and government officials join the opportunity to showcase South Korea to the world at the MLB season opener.
Before Ohtani¡¯s debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers against the San Diego Padres begins ¡ª the first-ever official MLB game in South Korea ¡ª K-pop girl group aespa will hit the stage for a performance. Korean pop stars have surged in popularity globally, and SM Entertainment-backed aespa is among the leading lights: The quartet has more than 13 million followers on Instagram, one of the highest for a K-pop group.
Park Chan-ho, the first South Korean-born player to play in MLB and an ex-Dodger, will throw the ceremonial first pitch. At the second game on Thursday, male artist Baekhyun will sing both the South Korean and U.S. national anthems, and another girl group, (G)I-DLE, will perform. Key diplomatic figures will be in attendance too, including the U.S. and Japanese ambassadors to South Korea and South Korea¡¯s Deputy Foreign Minister, according to government releases.
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