Busan Lotte Giants
By Ryan Griffiths
A great way to spend an afternoon is going to Busan to see a Lotte Giants baseball game. Whether you understand the game and the rules or not, the crowd and the atmosphere are worth the time.
The Giants play at Sajik (사직) Stadium in Busan, and getting there is simple. The first step is getting to Busan. Click here to read Ulsanonline’s travel directions for getting to Busan and once you’ve chosen an option head back here for directions to the stadium itself. Check out the schedules for the games by clicking the month that you’re looking for.
[MAY] [JUNE] [JULY] [AUG] [SEPT]
All weekday games start at 6:30pm, all Saturday games start at 5:00pm, and all Sunday games start at 2:00pm. Home games (games in Busan) all have a shaded background and away games have a white background.
From Nopodong:
Nopodoing is the last stop on Line 1, so the subway from here will only be going in one direction. Hop on and take the subway to Yeonsan Station. It’s 11 stops away, and will probably take about 15 minutes. From Yeonsan Station you need to transfer to Line 3 and get on the train that is headed toward Daejeo Station (Minam, and Deokcheon are also stations in that direction). Once you’re on Line 3 it’s only 3 stops to Sajik Stadium. Take exit 1 out of Sajik Station and walk straight to the first big intersection, it will be Sajik-ro. Turn right onto Sajik-ro and Sajik Stadium is only a couple of minutes up the road.
From Haeundae/Jangsan:
Get on the subway headed to Suyeong Station (Seomyeon, Deokcheon, and Yangsan are also stops in this direction) and in about 5 minutes (6 or 8 stops) you’ll come to Suyeong Station. Transfer onto Line 3 at Suyeong Station and head towards Yeonsan Station (Daejeo, Minam, and Deokcheon are also in that direction). There are 7 stops between Suyeong and Sajik Stadium, and it should take about 10 minutes to get there. Take exit 1 out of Sajik Station and walk straight to the first big intersection, it will be Sajik-ro. Turn right onto Sajik-ro and Sajik Stadium is only a couple of minutes up the road.
From Busan Station (downtown KTX):
From the KTX station in downtown Busan you can get onto Line 1 and head toward Seomyeon Station (Yeonsan, Dongnae, and Nopodong are also in that direction). You’ll want to stay on this line to Yeonsan Station, which is 8 stops from Busan Station. From Yeonsan Station you need to transfer to Line 3 and get on the train that is headed toward Daejeo Station (Minam, and Deokcheon are also stations in that direction). Once you’re on Line 3 it’s only 3 stops to Sajik Stadium. Take exit 1 out of Sajik Station and walk straight to the first big intersection, it will be Sajik-ro. Turn right onto Sajik-ro and Sajik Stadium is only a couple of minutes up the road.
Getting Tickets:
If you have a co-teacher, or a Korean friend who is willing to help you with the tickets then you can get them in advance. However, if you have any problems that way then you can also buy them at the stadium before the game. There’s no real threat of a sell-out in May/June/July, however if you’re going to a game mid-August through to September then have someone check on availability for you. Playoff baseball is late September through October, and those tickets will be the most difficult to come by, in this case you should rely on your co-teachers and Korean friends to help you secure some tickets.
You’ll want to buy tickets on the first base side of the stadium, it’s the home side and it’s the most exciting part of the ball park to sit in. Tickets close to the first baseline cost about 10,000 to 15,000 each, but the best crowd is in the ‘open seating’, or the A section and tickets cost about 6,000 to 8,000 per ticket.
Pro Tips:
- There is a Homeplus just one block from Sajik Stadium, and you can stop in there before the game to pick up some pizza, fried chicken, and beer. It’s completely acceptable to bring these into the game with you, and you’ll find that most people prefer to bring their own foods into the stadium rather than buying the food from the vendors there. Lots of the stores around the stadium sell Giants gear like jerseys, t-shirts and hats as well so stop in and have a look at some of the prices there.
- At around the 7th inning stadium employees will bring around orange trash bags for all of the empty cans and cardboard that you’ll have. While you should definitely use these for their intended purpose, before you do that be sure to do as the locals do and fill them with air and tie them to your head.
Enjoy the games, and Go Lotte Go!