Hanwha Eagles to Part Ways With Manager Kim Kyung-moon After Season

The Hanwha Eagles will part ways with manager Kim Kyung-moon when his contract expires at the end of the 2026 season, bringing his latest Korean baseball managerial tenure to a close after a difficult campaign.

A club official confirmed that Hanwha is moving forward with the process of selecting a new manager and thanked Kim for leading the team. Kim also disclosed his intention to step down ahead of Saturday's season finale against the NC Dinos at Daejeon Hanwha Life Ballpark.

Kim, 67, took charge of the Eagles in June 2024 after the club dismissed former manager Choi Won-ho amid poor results. He signed a three-year deal worth 2 billion won and initially stabilized a struggling team. Hanwha then finished second in the 2025 regular season and advanced to the Korean Series, marking a major turnaround for a franchise that had spent years outside the championship picture.

The Eagles were unable to sustain that momentum this year. Through Friday, they stood ninth with 57 wins, 82 losses and four draws in 143 games, a winning percentage of .410. Underperformance by foreign pitchers and instability among key bullpen arms contributed to the disappointing season.

Kim's departure leaves him without the Korean Series championship that repeatedly eluded him during a long and otherwise distinguished career. He began managing the Doosan Bears in 2004 and later served as the NC Dinos' inaugural manager from 2011 to 2018. His teams finished as Korean Series runners-up with Doosan in 2005, 2007 and 2008, with NC in 2016, and with Hanwha in 2025.

His most celebrated achievement came on the international stage, when he guided South Korea to the baseball gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with a perfect 9-0 record. He also reached a major domestic milestone while leading Hanwha, becoming the third manager in Korea Baseball Organization history to record 1,000 regular-season victories.

Through Friday, Kim's career regular-season record stood at 1,078 wins, 957 losses and 39 draws across 2,074 games. That places him behind only Kim Eung-yong and Kim Sung-keun on the KBO's all-time managerial wins list.

Hanwha has not announced a successor. The next appointment will inherit a club that demonstrated championship potential last season but now faces the task of rebuilding consistency after a steep fall in the standings.