Visited Korea for the 2012 World Youth Championships. After 12 years, he returned to Korea as a major leaguer.

Shohei Otani (30, LA Dodgers), who visited Korea for the U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) World Tour Seoul Series, expressed his expectations, saying, “I am happy to play in Korea.”

Ohtani attended the official press conference held at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul on the 16th.

The Dodgers will play the opening series of the 2024 MLB regular season against San Diego at Gocheok Dome on the 20th and 21st. This is the first time that an MLB regular season game is being held in Korea.

Otani said, “It’s a special opening. “It’s special to play in Korea, and it’s my first time starting with a new team, so I think there’s a different kind of joy than just (simple) joy,” he said, adding meaning to the Seoul Series.

Ohtani also played in Korea 12 years ago. In September 2012, he participated with the Japanese baseball team in the World Youth Baseball Championship held in Seoul.

Otani, a 'high school student' who showed off his talent by working as a pitcher, has grown rapidly.

Ohtani, who came to Korea as a major leaguer for the first time in 12 years, said, “I was a high school student at the time, so it was a little different from now. However, Korea has been one of his favorite countries ever since. “At that time, I had only been to Taiwan and Korea, so it was special,” he said. “I think it’s special to be able to come back to baseball and play.” “I think it will be a good experience,” he said with a smile. 

Over the past 12 years, Otani's status has changed significantly. He entered the MLB after playing in the Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) and established himself as a superstar. At the end of last year, he signed a huge contract worth 700 million dollars (about 932.4 billion won) for 10 years with the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Ohtani, wearing a Dodgers uniform, will play his first regular season game at Gocheok Dome. Otani's popularity is truly explosive. The day before, a large crowd of people gathered at Incheon International Airport to see Ohtani and other Dodgers players enter the country. Otani said, “Thank you for the welcome. Korea and Japan are rivals. 

“I have admired Korean players and teams while watching games against Korea,” he said. Otani will also face off against Japanese major leaguer Yu Darvish (San Diego) through this Seoul Series. Darvish was announced as the starting pitcher for Game 1 of the Seoul Series. Regarding meeting Darvish, Ohtani said, "He is a pitcher I have liked since I was very young, and I have been targeting him as a player. 

I think we will have many memories and I am looking forward to it." Ahead of his trip to Seoul, Otani made a surprise reveal about his wife, who had been kept in secret. Otani, who announced his marriage on his social networking service (SNS) last month, did not reveal the identity of his partner at the time. 

When Otani posted a photo taken in front of the plane to Korea on social media, it was revealed that his wife was Mamiko Tanaka, a former Japanese women's professional basketball player. When asked about his wife, Ohtani laughed as if embarrassed, and teammate Freddie Freeman, who was also attending the press conference, mischievously teased him by saying, “I want to hear it too.” Otani said, “This is my first time going overseas together (with my wife), so I think it will be a good memory. “First of all, I have to focus on what I can do,” he said. 19가이드03