Hwang Jae-gyun to hold retirement ceremony Saturday in Suwon

KT Wiz will hold a retirement ceremony for Hwang Jae-gyun, who wrapped up his playing career at the end of last season.

KT announced Tuesday that the ceremony will take place Saturday at KT Wiz Park in Suwon, before and after the team's home game against the Lotte Giants in the 2026 Shinhan SOL Bank KBO League.

Lotte is the team Hwang played for from 2010 to 2016, before he headed to the United States to play in Major League Baseball in 2017. KT chose the Lotte matchup as the backdrop for the ceremony.

The event will be themed around "The Final Countdown" by Europe — Hwang's walk-up song during his playing days — and will unfold in two parts.

The first part, held before the game, will feature a signing session at Wiz Hall in the center of the stadium, where Hwang will meet 100 fans.

A retirement tribute video tracing his baseball career will be screened on the field, and both clubs and their rosters will present Hwang with commemorative retirement gifts.

The ceremonial first pitch, first hit and first catch will be performed by Hwang's family.

After the game, the second part of the ceremony will open with the release of a congratulatory retirement video, followed by Hwang delivering a farewell address.

A base-running high-five event will follow, with teammates, former teachers and baseball alumni from his alma mater Gyeonggi High School, and fans lining up to celebrate his retirement.

Hwang made his professional debut in 2006 wearing the Hyundai Unicorns uniform and spent 20 seasons on the field.

After stints with the Heroes and the Lotte Giants, Hwang crossed over to the United States in 2017 to play for the San Francisco Giants in MLB.

Ahead of the 2018 season, he signed a free-agent contract with KT Corp and shared eight years of glory with the club.

After the 2020 season, Hwang won his first Golden Glove at third base since turning professional. In 2021, he served as team captain and led KT to its first-ever unified championship.

Hwang announced his retirement in December last year after 18 KBO League seasons, finishing his career with a .285 batting average, 2,266 hits, 227 home runs, 1,121 RBIs, 235 stolen bases and 1,172 runs scored across 2,200 games.