Choi Hyoung-woo

Choi Hyoung-woo, one of the most feared power hitters and highest-paid players in the history of South Korea's KBO League, died on October 24, 2026, at the age of 42. News of his death reached fans and former teammates on the same day, and as of this writing the cause of death and the circumstances surrounding it have not been made public.

Choi was born on December 16, 1983, in Jeonju, South Korea. He signed with the Samsung Lions as a catcher and spent his first years in professional baseball struggling to establish himself, going without a single RBI in the KBO League until 2008. The Lions released him after the 2005 season, and he spent two years playing for the Police Baseball Team in the KBO's farm system, a period during which he converted from catching to playing outfield, a move that would define the rest of his career.

Choi's rejoining of Samsung in 2008 marked the real start of his professional success, and he was named the KBO League's Rookie of the Year that season. From there he became one of the most consistent and dangerous hitters the league has seen. In 2011 he led the KBO in home runs, hitting 30, and in RBIs, driving in 118 runs. Five years later, in 2016, he topped the league again, this time in batting average at .376 and in RBIs with 144, a season widely regarded as one of the finest offensive years in KBO history.

That 2016 performance helped Choi secure a landmark contract. In November 2016 he left Samsung as a free agent to sign a four year deal with the Kia Tigers, becoming the first player in KBO history to sign a contract worth 10 billion won, then roughly 8.5 million dollars. The deal was a milestone for player compensation in Korean baseball and cemented Choi's standing as one of the league's marquee stars. After the 2025 season, in what fans saw as a sentimental homecoming, he returned to the Samsung Lions on a two year free agent contract, the team where his career had begun and nearly ended.

Choi mattered to Korean baseball not simply for the numbers he produced but for the arc of his career, a player cut loose early who rebuilt himself in the amateur ranks and returned to dominate the league for well over a decade. His death, coming so soon after his return to Samsung, was met with shock across the KBO community, though detailed tributes and statements from the Lions organization and his former teams had not yet been widely reported at the time this page was written. People Forever will update this page as confirmed details about his death, funeral arrangements, and public tributes become available.