LG vs KIA
Overview
The LG Twins and KIA Tigers are original franchises that began with the launch of the KBO League in 1982, and as rivals based in Seoul (Jamsil) and Gwangju, they have formed the two major pillars of the league for over 40 years. The two teams faced each other head-on in the 1997 Korean Series, and their traditional rivalry, which dates back to the Haitai era, continued unchanged even after the parent company change to KIA in 2001. Entering the 2020s, KIA's 12th overall championship (2024) and LG's first championship in 29 years (2023) coincided, bringing them back to prominence as the league's biggest box-office draw.
Main Content
Identities of the Two Teams
- LG Twins: Founded in 1982 as the MBC Cheongryong, they took their current name when the LG Group acquired the team in 1990. They play their home games at Jamsil Baseball Stadium and won the Korean Series in 1990, 1994, and 2023. As the franchise representing the Seoul metropolitan area, they stand at the center of the league in terms of attendance and buzz.
- KIA Tigers: Founded in 1982 as the Haitai Tigers, they became the KIA Tigers when Kia Motors acquired the team in 2001. They use Gwangju-Kia Champions Field as their home stadium and hold the KBO record for most championships, with 12 titles through 2024.
A Connection Dating Back to the Founding Year
The two teams are among the six original franchises that competed on the same stage from the first season in 1982. Haitai dominated the 1980s under manager Kim Eung-yong from the team's early days, while the MBC Cheongryong led the baseball boom in the Seoul metropolitan area with the so-called "Cheongryong fever." Entering the 1990s, Haitai enjoyed its prime with the era's best players such as Seon Dong-yeol, Kim Seong-han, and Han Dae-hwa, while LG struck back with championships in 1990 and 1994, creating a two-strong structure.
The 1997 Korean Series
1997 was the only time the two teams met in the Korean Series. The matchup between the LG Twins, who advanced as the regular-season first-place team, and the Haitai Tigers, who climbed through the postseason from third place, drew great attention under the framing of "an emerging powerhouse" versus "a traditional power." The result was Haitai's championship with a 4-1 series victory, and this series remained Haitai's last championship of its dynasty and, for LG fans, a long-remembered regret.
All-Time Record and Rivalry Structure
The regular-season head-to-head record has shifted in superiority by period. In the late 1990s Haitai had the edge, in the mid-2000s LG did, and from the late 2010s onward KIA has held the advantage, in a repeating pattern. However, the matchup between the two teams is treated as the league's most closely watched card, going beyond simple wins and losses to overlap with the regional identities representing the Seoul metropolitan area and the Honam region, as well as the brand competition between the two groups.
Representative Players and Managers
- LG: Key figures from the 1990s such as Lee Sun-cheol, Kim Dong-soo, Lee Sang-hoon, Yoo Ji-hyun, and Seo Yong-bin, followed by Park Yong-taek, Oh Ji-hwan, Hong Chang-ki, and Kim Hyun-soo, have carried the team through the eras.
- KIA: The lineage of the Haitai dynasty represented by Seon Dong-yeol, Lee Jong-beom, and Kim Seong-han has continued through Yang Hyeon-jong, Choi Hee-seop, Na Sung-bum, and Kim Do-yeong.
- The managerial lineage has also seen major names pass through both teams, including Kim Eung-yong and Kim Seong-han (Haitai/KIA) and Lee Kwang-hwan, Kim Jae-bak, and Yeom Kyung-yup (LG).
Fandom and Attendance
Jamsil and Gwangju are called the sacred grounds of baseball in the Seoul metropolitan area and the Honam region, respectively. Matchups between the two teams, especially KIA away games held at Jamsil, are famous for large-scale away cheering by Gwangju fans and frequently rank among the season's highest-attendance games. In cheering culture as well, Jamsil's large cheer squads and Gwangju's roars are counted among the scenes representing the KBO League.
Latest Trends
In 2024, the KIA Tigers finished first in the regular season and then won the Korean Series, achieving their 12th overall championship, while Kim Do-yeong established himself as a star representing the league by winning MVP and recording a 30-30 season. In the same year, the LG Twins advanced to the postseason but left something to be desired in fall baseball. The 2024 KBO League surpassed 10 million cumulative regular-season attendance for the first time in history, and the matchup between LG and KIA was a representative content driver behind that box-office success.
In 2025, the LG Twins maintained a top-tier position in the regular season and continued competing for the championship, while KIA struggled in the standings as injuries and slumps among key players overlapped, showing a pattern in which the two teams' positions were reversed again. In addition, institutional changes such as ABS (automatic ball-strike calling) and the pitch clock are affecting strategy in the matchup, and developing young players and competing to sign foreign players are cited as key variables that will determine the two clubs' fortunes next season.
Related Topics
- [[LG Twins]]
- [[KIA Tigers]]
- [[Korean Series]]
- [[KBO League]]
- [[Jamsil Baseball Stadium]]
- [[Kim Do-yeong]]
- [[Yang Hyeon-jong]]