LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Chan Ho Park, the first Korean player in Major League Baseball, has entered into a strategic partnership with the Las Vegas Athletics through an investment consortium called Team61, marking the first time a Korean group has acquired an ownership stake in an MLB franchise.
Team61 announced Monday that it has invested a total of $70 million in the Athletics. According to the group, $55 million has been invested to date, with an additional $15 million expected to be finalized pending MLB approval.
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In addition to his role as a principal in Team61, Park will serve as a Senior Advisor to Athletics Managing Partner John Fisher, advising the ownership group on player development and Asia strategy initiatives.
Team61 is an investment consortium that includes Park, along with Hollywood actors Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim. The group invested through the Athletics’ capital-raising process tied to the franchise’s planned relocation to Las Vegas and construction of a new ballpark.
A historic milestone for Korean baseball
The partnership carries symbolic significance as Park — MLB’s first Korean player — becomes the first Korean owner in MLB history. The Athletics are preparing for a move to Las Vegas in 2028 and the construction of a new state-of-the-art ballpark.
Founded in 1901 as a charter member of the American League, the Athletics have won nine World Series championships and 15 American League pennants.
“During my playing career, I introduced Korea to Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball to Korean fans, and I saw firsthand how even a small point of connection can create meaningful change,” Park said. “Korea is now a baseball powerhouse with outstanding fans and a strong player-development system. Through exchanges with Las Vegas, which is opening a new era in Major League Baseball, I hope more opportunities will be created for the next generation of players. We are grateful for this opportunity to collaborate with the Athletics to lift up Korean baseball to the next level.”
Team61 said the partnership represents more than an ownership relationship and should be viewed as an investment in the future of Korean baseball. Park established the Chan Ho Park Scholarship Foundation while still an active player and has hosted the Chan Ho Park National Baseball Tournament and the Chan Ho Park Baseball Camp for approximately 26 years.
The group noted that Park’s success in the 1990s and 2000s opened MLB doors for Korean players including Byung-Hyun Kim, Shin-Soo Choo, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Ha-Seong Kim and Jung-Hoo Lee, among others.
Korea has surpassed 10 million spectators in professional baseball attendance for two consecutive years. The 2026 season recorded 7.63 million spectators in the first half alone. According to 2020 figures cited by Team61, Korea ranked second globally in per-capita MLB viewership, ahead of the United States.
“South Korea is an exciting country for baseball, and we are thrilled to partner with Chan Ho Park and Team61 to support their continued future success,” Athletics owner John Fisher said. “Just as he pioneered and broke ground for Korean and Asian baseball players in America, we believe that this partnership with Chan Ho to pioneer Korean ownership in baseball will have long and lasting positive impacts.”
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