Baseball Player Kim Do-yeong gives a thumbs-up after signing a new contract with the Tigers, Jan. 21. Courtesy of Kia Tigers

Kim Do-yeong, the reigning MVP in Korean baseball, received a record-setting raise for the upcoming season from the Kia Tigers.

The Tigers announced Tuesday that Kim signed a new one-year deal for 500 million won ($347,440), up from 100 million won in 2024.

It is the highest salary for a fourth-year player in Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) history. Lee Jung-hoo, the 2022 league MVP and currently an outfielder for the San Francisco Giants, held the previous mark with the 390 million won he made in 2020.

The 400 percent annual increase is the largest in Tigers history and the second-largest ever in the KBO, excluding free agent deals or multiyear extensions.

In the KBO, players sign one-year contracts before becoming eligible for free agency after eight full seasons in the books.

Kim, 21, set the KBO on fire with a banner season in 2024. He became the youngest and the fastest to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in a season, and finished with 38 home runs and 40 steals. He led the league with a record 143 runs scored and a .647 slugging percentage while also ranking third in batting average (.347), hits (189) and on-base percentage (.420). Kim also helped the Tigers win the Korean Series championship with a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored in five games.

He was the runaway winner of the regular-season MVP award after receiving 95 out of 101 votes from the media. The Tigers sold 10 billion won worth of Kim jerseys last season, accounting for more than half of the team's entire jersey sales.

"I'd like to thank the team for such a great contract," Kim said. "I am happy to have signed the deal. But at the same time, I feel a weight of responsibility. I will not feel complacent with where I am at the moment and will keep getting better and better." (Yonhap)