A South Korean group led by former MLB player Chan Ho Park and featuring Suga of K-pop group BTS is officially investing $70 million into the Athletics in a strategic partnership.
The group has already invested $55 million and will invest an additional $15 million set, subject to MLB approval, the A’s and Project61 announced Sunday.
As part of the partnership, Park will become a senior advisor to A’s owner John Fisher, advising the team’s ownership group on player development and Asia initiatives. Park was the first South Korea-born player in MLB and will also become the first owner and investor in an MLB franchise from the country.
Outside of Park and Suga, the Team61 investment consortium also includes Hollywood actors Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim. The group invested the money through the A’s capital-raising process to build the team’s under-construction $2 billion Strip ballpark and to relocate the team to Las Vegas. Suga sported an A’s jersey with his name on the back of it in May during a BTS concert at Allegiant Stadium.
Team61 is looking at the partnership as more than just an investment in the future of the A’s, but also for the future of the game of baseball in the country and its relationship with MLB.
“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 in a statement. “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.”
Baseball’s popularity in Korea has grown in recent years, with over 10 million fans taking in professional baseball games in the country for two straight years and have already seen 7.6 million spectators through the first half of 2026.
“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” Fisher said in a statement. “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.”
Contact Mick Akers at makers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2920. Follow @mickakers on X.
