Baseball: Kumho teams up with the Kia Tigers again

South Korean tyre makers can once again compete head-to-head on the baseball field, with Kumho Tire resuming its sponsorship of the Kia Tigers after a four-year hiatus. It joins Hankook Tire, sponsor of the Doosan Bears, in the top-level KBO League.

The new uniform sponsorship contract for the 2022 season places the Kumho logo on the front right of players’ shirts and gives it a stadium presence during Tigers games. Kumho’s logo will also feature on marketing materials and in the team’s online activities.

“For the first time in four years, Kumho Tire signed a sponsorship with the Kia Tigers, and just as it won the 2017 Korean Series, we want to give strength to the championship this year,” comments Gangseung ‘Tony’ Lee, senior vice-president of global marketing at Kumho Tire. “As uniforms are constantly shown with players during broadcasts, Kumho Tire expects to be able to communicate more closely with baseball fans.”

The Tigers are the most successful team in Korean baseball. The Gwangju-based outfit has won the national Korean Series championship on 11 occasions.

Nexen Tire will not meet its tyre making rivals out on the diamond this season, having retired as naming sponsor to KBO League team the Nexen Heroes – now the Kiwoon Heroes – at the end of 2018.