Role of Sport Public Relations for the COVID-19 Outbreak: Interview With Kwon Heo, Public Relations Manager at Kia Tigers

Kwon Heo Kwon Heo * Download Figure * Download figure as PowerPoint slide —Public relations manager, Kia Tigers. Citation: International Journal of Sport Communication 13, 3; 10.1123/ijsc.2020-0214 Following a successful flattening of the curve in terms of the spread of COVID-19, the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) became one of the first professional-level sport leagues to start its season in early. With limited programming available due to various sports cancellations and postponements, ESPN made the decision to broadcast the Korean baseball games. With this in mind, the perspective of a practitioner in Korean baseball could be valuable for numerous sport experts in other countries. Hence, an interview with Kwon Heo, a public relations (PR) manager with the Kia Tigers, was conducted. Heo entered the sport industry as a reporter for Gwangju daily newspapers from 1995 to 2001. Since 2002, he has been working as the head of PR for the Tigers. The Kia Tigers are the most successful professional baseball team in Korea, with 11 Korean series titles, and Kwon is responsible for the overall planning and promotion of the franchise. He also earned a doctorate in sports marketing from Mokpo National University in 2013, and since 2009 he has been teaching sports promotion, sports media, and sports marketing to students as a part-time lecturer at Mokpo National University in order to deliver his field experiences to students. He has also been in charge of conducting lectures regarding the training of sports industry personnel at universities near the region (e.g., Chosun University and Sunchon University). Son, Williams, and Heo:What kind of work have you been doing for Kia Tigers? Could you describe the overall work of the Tigers PR team and your daily responsibilities as a team leader? Heo:Since 2002, I have been in charge of PR, particularly media promotion. I am responsible for the team’s mid- to long-term vision development. My daily tasks also include active promotion of the team and players. The main duties of the PR team this year include press publicity, managing the franchise’s social media channels, and production of promotional materials. As the team leader, I also serve as the spokesperson for the team. Son, Williams, and Heo:You have mentioned that your duties include promotion of both the team and players. Are you also in charge of promoting players? Heo:Player-related PR includes advertising our players. It covers various promotional activities, fr