Director Kang In-kwon of NC
NC dismissed head coach Kang In-kwon even before the end of the season. Even though the contract period was more than a year away, the team notified the termination of the contract due to poor performance. The club has put forward a change in the atmosphere and preparation for next season, but there is something to be reluctant about. This is because the situation of the “pressure” situation of the dismissal of the head coach of NCsoft (NC) has been detected.
At the world’s largest game show “Gamescom 2024” held in Cologne, Germany, on the 21st of last month, co-CEO of NC Park Byung-moo and Chief Financial Officer Hong Won-joon met by chance in front of the hotel.
When he said, “The Dinos are also in charge,” CFO Hong asked, “But why aren’t they going out when coach Kang In-kwon told me to go out?” and said, “I thought it was 11 consecutive losses, but I don’t know why they’re not going out.”
It was a half-hearted (半 trust 半疑), but it was also the first meeting, so he ended the awkward meeting by asserting that “there is no leadership like coach Kang.”
CFO Hong’s nervous evaluation of coach Kang became a reality in just a month.
NC announced the termination of the contract with manager Kang In-kwon ahead of the Changwon Lotte match on the 20th, saying, “NC decided to dismiss coach Kang In-kwon as well as confirming his elimination from the fifth round to renew the atmosphere that has been stagnant due to poor performance.”
“The club wanted to avoid an organizational culture where it became a habit to change the head coach and start anew. In particular, with the aim of creating a sustainable strong team, we consistently believed in the field and supported the continuity and continuity of the system or leadership, but as the elimination of the 5th round was confirmed, we decided that it was time to focus on preparing for the 2025 season through a mood change, so we ended the contract with coach Kang,” he explained.
Let’s go back to the time of Gamescom. At the moment when CFO Hong hinted at the replacement of the baseball team’s manager, co-CEO Park Byung-moo of NCsoft was with him.
Park, however, also made no gestures. The fact that Park, who is the owner of the team, has remained silent over the issue of “rigid management during the season” is seen as a sign that he agrees.
Therefore, the replacement of coach Kang was a strong will of the group’s leadership, and it seems to have been a matter that was virtually concluded in mid-August at the latest.
When NC switched to a co-representative system, it was under pressure from shareholders to sell the team, saying, “We have no plans to sell the team.” He stressed, “We will strengthen and maintain the Dinos’ independence.”
However, the team quickly cut out the head of the team with less than 10 games left. It is well known that NCs support for the team is not as good as it used to be. What's worse is that the team fell to the bottom of the list due to the managers poor financial support amid the main players` injuries.
NC has given full support to its team since the foundation of the Dinos. If a player who knows how to eat meat is forced to fast, the result is as clear as fire. NC should also think about the reason why some say that baseball teams may be blamed for the series of box office losses in new games.
In addition, starting with Kim Kyung-moon (current Hanwha) who was the first head coach, all NC command towers, including Lee Dong-wook and Kang In-kwon, have completed the tradition of resigning in disgrace.
NC announced the news of Kang’s replacement and emphasized, “The club wanted to avoid the organizational culture where it became a habit to change the head coach and start anew.” It is read as an excuse that the club’s thoughts alone cannot prevent the group’s actions.
Anyway, the tradition of “dismissing a manager during the season” has become a signature of NC. As the team is the head coach of only 10 professional baseball teams in Korea, it is not difficult to find a new coach. Who will be the scapegoat this time?토토사이트 추천
Sports Seoul should come up with the answer from NCsoft. If the club is easily breaking its promise to strengthen its independence, it seems that it is not difficult to break the promise that it will not sell.