Hyeseong Kim reacts to Shohei Ohtani's 3-word message after $12,500,000 Dodgers move

Korean baseball star Hyeseong Kim is heading to MLB, joining the reigning world champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The organization and the KBO star have agreed to a three-year, $12.5 million guaranteed contract, which can increase to $22 million with bonuses.

In a rare Instagram story, National League MVP Shohei Ohtani welcomed his new teammate by writing the caption in Hangul, the Korean writing system. This gesture prompted a grateful response from Hyeseong Kim.

Hyeseong Kim thanks new teammate Shohei Ohtani after being greeted in Korean (credit: kimhs.3/Instagram)

Ohtani wrote "환영합니다 친구야," which translates to "Welcome, my friend," using full honorifics in Korean. Kim expressed his gratitude by thanking Ohtani and giving a thumbs up.

Despite the intense rivalry between the Japanese and Korean national baseball teams, which extends beyond the sport, these two stars are now part of a powerhouse team. According to reports in the Korean media, Ohtani provided Kim with valuable guidance throughout the free agency process.

"It appears the Dodgers superstar did some recruiting to land Kim, who took less money and years to join the Dodgers," said @NoahCamras

Hyeseong Kim joins KBO greats who donned Dodger blue

The Los Angeles Dodgers have historically been a popular destination for Korean players in MLB. With his recent signing, Hyeseong Kim becomes the fifth Korean-born player and the sixth overall of Korean heritage to join the iconic blue team.

Kim played for the Nexen/Kiwoom Heroes during his eight years in the KBO and was a teammate of former All-Star and former L.A. slugger Yasiel Puig in Korea. Among his other notable teammateswere Gold Glover Ha-Seong Kim and San Francisco Giant Junghoo Lee.

At 25 years old, Kim follows the path of KBO greats who have played in Hollywood, including the first South Korea-born player in league history, former All-Star Chan-ho Park. Others on this list include Jae Weong Seo, Hee-seop Choi and two-time All-MLB Second Team member Hyun-jin Ryu.

Interestingly, Hyeseong Kim will also reconnect with another compatriot, NLCS MVP Tommy Edman. Edman, who is Korean on his mother's side, represented the nation during the 2023 World Baseball Classic alongside Kim.