Choo Shin-soo. [Yonhap]
Choo Shin-soo. [Yonhap]

Former baseball player Choo Shin-soo has spoken publicly about the pension and welfare benefits available to Major League Baseball players.

Monday's episode of tvN STORY's "Nam-gyeoseo Mwo Hage," episode 55, featured Choo alongside fellow Korean MLB veterans Kim Byung-hyun and Oh Seung-hwan, who shared memories of life in the United States and details of the league's generous benefits.

During the episode, Oh brought up the MLB pension system while discussing perks available to players.

"The amount goes up the more years you accumulate," Oh said. "Choo Shin-soo will probably receive around 300 million won ($212,000) a year in pension starting at age 60."

Choo confirmed the figure and elaborated. "You receive it until you die," he said. "If I'm gone due to an unexpected accident, it goes to my wife, and if both of us are gone, it goes to our children."

Kim Byung-hyun estimated his own annual pension at around 250 million won, while Oh put his at about 100 million won. When Oh quipped, "I brag about this everywhere else, but sitting next to you two, it feels so small," Kim shot back, "But you have a gold medal, don't you?" drawing laughter from the group.

The show also revealed a special perk reserved for players with 10 or more years in the majors. Choo said a "gold card" is issued from a player's 10th year, entitling the holder to two complimentary tickets to any game regardless of which team is playing.

Beyond the pension talk, Choo showed his generosity toward younger players. He invited up-and-coming baseball prospects to a lavish meal featuring eel and galbi, and when the bill arrived, he pulled out a black card without hesitation. The tab came to 3.72 million won — a sum Choo paid without batting an eye, living up to his reputation as a legendarily generous sunbae.


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