Choo Shin-soo confirmed to have received a Hall of Fame vote, setting a historic record for Korean players in MLB.

According to Jeff Wilson, a reporter from Texas sports media outlet DLLS, the 2026 MLB Hall of Fame voting results released on December 31 Beijing time show that Korean outfielder Choo Shin-soo received at least one vote. Korean media report this is the first time a Korean player has ever earned a vote in the MLB Hall of Fame selection process.

This year’s Hall of Fame ballot included 27 nominees, with a minimum 5% vote threshold required to remain eligible for future ballots. Wilson acknowledged that Choo Shin-soo might struggle to reach the 5% mark, but noted his impressive 0.824 career OPS over 16 seasons in the majors, marking him as a highly skilled player.

Choo Shin-soo is the only Asian player to have risen from the minor leagues all the way to the majors and secured a substantial contract. He played in 1,652 MLB games, accumulating 1,671 hits, including 218 home runs, with a .377 on-base percentage and .447 slugging percentage, and achieved three seasons with “20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.” While with the Texas Rangers, he reached base in 52 consecutive games.

Wilson stated that although Choo Shin-soo was neither the first Korean to reach the major leagues nor the first Korean to challenge MLB directly from the KBO through bidding, he believes a Korean player will eventually be inducted into the Hall of Fame. When that happens, Choo will be regarded as a pioneer.

Choo Shin-soo spent five years developing in the minor leagues and deeply understands the hardships faced by minor league players. When the 2020 minor league season was canceled due to the pandemic, he voluntarily gave $1,000 each to 200 minor league players in the Rangers organization, a gesture of empathy that left a lasting impression.