September 10, 1979, Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, Extraordinary Baseball Congress, Association International Baseball Amateur (AINBA). Jong Nak Kim (left), President, Baseball Federation of Asia, presents Dodger President Peter O’Malley with a plaque in appreciation for O’Malley hosting the AINBA meetings and group recognition on the field prior to a Dodger home game. The international baseball leaders were committed to including baseball in the 1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles.
Biography
Jong Nak Kim
Jong Nak Kim was President of the Korean Baseball Association and a leader in international amateur baseball in Asia, including President of the Baseball Federation of Asia. Jong Nak Kim attended the Extraordinary Baseball Congress of the Association International Baseball Amateur (AINBA) at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, September 10-12, 1979 and visited Dodger Stadium as one of nearly 100 guests hosted by Dodger President Peter O’Malley. At that meeting, the goal was to establish baseball as a demonstration sport in the 1984 Games of the XXIII Olympiad in Los Angeles with a long-term view of obtaining gold medal status in the Olympic Games. Jong Nak Kim and International Baseball Association Executive Committee members held an important Olympic Baseball planning meeting February 9-10, 1985 in Seoul. Dr. Smith, Major League Baseball Commissioner Bowie Kuhn (1969-1984) and Peter were in attendance to encourage baseball to be part of the 1988 Seoul Olympics. On April 25, 1985, Peter hosted several officials of the International Baseball Association (IBA) and the International Softball Federation for a Dodgers-Padres game at Dodger Stadium. Jong Nak Kim, In Chul Choi, President of the Korean Amateur Baseball Association; and Miguel Oropeza of Mexico, member of the IBA Executive Committee, were among the VIP attendees.
March 8, 1988, Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida, Dodger President Peter O’Malley has lunch with South Korea’s Jong Nak Kim, President, Baseball Federation of Asia.
On August 23, 1991, Peter O’Malley meets with Jong Nak Kim, President, Baseball Federation of Asia, in his office at Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles. Jong Nak Kim was in town for the August 24, 1991 IBA World All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
October 19, 1992, (L-R): Bowie Kuhn, Major League Baseball Commissioner (1969-1984); Jong Nak Kim, President, Korea Baseball Association and President, Baseball Federation of Asia; Osvaldo Gil, President, Federacion de Beisbol A. de Puerto Rico; Dodger President Peter O’Malley; International Baseball Association (IBA) President Dr. Bob Smith participate in IBA executive meetings hosted by O’Malley at Dodger Stadium, The Stadium Club, October 17-20.
On March 8, 1988, representatives of four countries from the International Baseball Association were introduced to the crowd at Holman Stadium, Dodgertown, Vero Beach, Florida for the first ball ceremony before the Dodgers-Baltimore Orioles exhibition game. The quartet, guests of Peter O'Malley, were Jong Nak Kim; Ramaz Goglidze of Georgia, the Soviet Baseball Federation president who threw the first ball; Eiichiro Yamamoto of Japan, IBA 1st vice president; and IBA President Dr. Robert Smith from Greenville College. In the fall of 1993, Peter traveled to Seoul to meet with talented young pitcher Chan Ho Park. Kim, knowing Peter’s keen interest in Chan Ho, was very helpful as a friend.