Hanbok for everyone! Kim outfits Padres in traditional Korean robes
Do-Hyoung Park
@dohyoungparkSEOUL -- Fernando Tatšªs Jr.¡¯s eyes went wide as he walked up to his locker and he let out a soft, ¡°Ooh.¡±
Jurickson Profar paused, turned to Ha-Seong Kim at the locker next to him, and asked, ¡°From you?¡±
Having just gotten to the Gocheok SkyDome¡¯s third-base clubhouse ahead of their 5-2 Opening Day loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday, several Padres stopped in their tracks as soon as they saw the golden traditional Korean garments known as ¡°hanbok¡± hung up on their lockers, each with a neat, handwritten card addressed to them.
It¡¯s been a whirlwind of a homecoming trip for Kim, but he¡¯d still found the time to arrange this gift of customized, personalized hanbok for all of his teammates, plus manager Mike Shildt, as a token by which to remember this trip to South Korea.
¡°I thought that I had to prepare gifts for my teammates who came all the way to my home country of South Korea,¡± Kim said through interpreter David Lee. ¡°I feel like that was a given. I wanted to give them memories that they'll remember for a long time, so I figured that these gifts would make a big impact during this Seoul Series trip.¡±
The history of hanbok in Korea dates back hundreds of years, and modern Koreans wear the traditional clothing to mark special occasions in their lives, like a wedding or a child¡¯s first birthday. Kim got his teammates a long robe in Padres gold, adorned with a traditional gold-flake dragon print running down the front seam.
The ¡°SD¡± logo of the Padres is present inside the collar, and each player¡¯s hanbok was customized with his jersey number on the front. Tatšªs had seen people wearing hanbok at the temples he¡¯d visited earlier in the week and had remarked to his mother that he¡¯d need to acquire one for himself -- and it turns out Kim was already thinking ahead.
¡°That was amazing,¡± Tatšªs said. ¡°He's taking his time to do stuff like that, and it just means how much he cares for his teammates. That's what he's all about.¡±
¡°I'd say it's pretty cool, to walk in on your first Major League game day and to see something cool like that,¡± rookie Graham Pauley said. ¡°I'll definitely be wearing it around. I was thankful and told Kimmy thank you. It's been really fun being over in Korea.¡±
Each player also found two soccer jerseys sitting on his chair, one from Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-Min Son and another from Bayern Munich star Min-Jae Kim, the country¡¯s two highest-profile soccer stars. The pair of footballers had arranged for the gift as a good luck gesture for the series and a show of support for Ha-Seong Kim.
After seeing the array of gifts, Tatšªs, Profar and Manny Machado turned to Kim and started shouting ¡°Hwai-ting! Hwai-ting!¡± over and over at their teammate, a traditional Korean cheer used for encouragement.
Clearly, the gesture was very much appreciated.
¡°I know he's very excited to be home, and it's probably been a lot for him to come back and take on that role, going through what he's going through the last week, playing in his hometown,¡± Joe Musgrove said. ¡°We're very grateful. We love to have him. He's really loved here, very similar to how he is in San Diego.¡±