'Gubonmu Rolex' protagonist unseals Oh Ji-hwan's LG win congratulatory coin

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"If we win, let's give the MVP a drink" Formulated by the late owner Koo Bon-moo in the 1990s

故구본무 구단주가 남긴 아와모리 소주-롤렉스 시계 한국시리즈 두 번째 우승 이듬 해인 1995년 일본 오키나와 전지 훈련 때 세 번째 우승을 기원하며 오키나와에서 사온 지역 전통주 아와모리 술독(위쪽 사진). 아래쪽 사진은 구본무 초대 구단주가 1998년 해외 출장 길에 한국시리즈 최우수선수(MVP)에게 선물로 주려고 사온 롤렉스 시계. LG 제공

Awamori Shochu-Rolex Watch by the Late Koo Bon-moo The Awamori Shochu (top photo), a local traditional liquor, was brought from Okinawa, Japan, in 1995, the year after the team won its second Korean Series title, as a wish for a third championship. The Rolex watch, pictured below, was purchased by the team's first owner, Koo Bon-moo, as a gift for the Korean Series Most Valuable Player (MVP) during a business trip overseas in 1998. 

When LG won the Korean Baseball Organization's first Korean Series title in 29 years in 1994, two of the team's most iconic relics finally saw the light of day. They are Awamori, a traditional shochu from Okinawa, Japan, and a Rolex watch for the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Korean Series.

Both artifacts have a strong connection to LG's first owner, Koo Bon-moo (1945-2018). In 1994, Koo visited the LG team during their training camp in Okinawa, and while drinking awamori with the team at a dinner party, he said, "If we win the championship this season, we'll toast to it again at the victory party. When the team won the championship that year, the LG front office thought it contained "good luck" and brought back several barrels for the following year's training camp.

However, LG didn't get a chance to open the bottle for another 28 years. In the meantime, much of the liquor had evaporated. So the LG front office flew to Okinawa ahead of this year's Korean Series and brought back the same bottle. After winning three games in the series, the original suldok was moved from LG Champions Park in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province (the second team's training ground) to Jamsil Stadium in Seoul.


On his way back from an overseas business trip in 1998, Koo also bought a luxury watch that cost more than 80 million won at the time, saying, "I will present it to the Korean Series MVP when we win the next championship. At the time, Kim Yong-soo (LG), the highest-paid player in baseball, was paid 140 million won, and the watch never left the safe in the club's office at Jamsil Stadium for 25 years. On March 13, LG unveiled the actual watch, which had never been shown to the public before.

The Rolex eventually went to LG captain Oh Ji-hwan (pictured). Oh was voted the MVP of the Korean Series by the press corps, receiving 80 out of 93 votes (86%). In five games of the Korean Series, Oh batted .316 (6-for-19) with three home runs, eight RBIs, and six runs scored.

"I don't think I can wear the Rolex watch because it's like a relic of our founding president, Koo Bon-moo. If I receive the watch, I would like to give it to Chairman Koo Kwang-mo and put it in the LG club's feed room." "I would like to receive a watch that is more in line with the current era instead," he said.

LG plans to celebrate the win later this week at LG Science Park in Gangseo-gu, Seoul. 스포츠토토맨

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