Ten percent of stadiums are now allowed to be filled, with spectators scattered around the stands and a myriad of restrictions to try to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Sunday's match between local team Doosan Bears and LG Twins in south Seoul saw less than 2,500 fans allowed to watch live, others were able to watch a live broadcast of the match online.
The precious tickets sold out online in less than an hour and a half, according to a Doosan Bears official, showing that the massive appetite for baseball in this country has not diminished.
To enter the stadium, supporters now have temperature control and must register their presence at the stadium entrance via an increasingly widely used QR code system, which records your personal information for four weeks before being automatically deleted. This allows managers to contact follow-up much faster in the event of an outbreak.
A spray of hand sanitizer and you are cleared into the stadium.
'It's quite sad'
Food and alcohol are prohibited in the stands, masks are mandatory, and fans are asked to minimize their singing, a staple of Korean baseball, for fear of saliva droplets.
Baseball is by far the most popular sport in South Korea, and the games are only partially about what happens on the field itself. Daniel Kim, a Korean baseball commentator for ESPN said: "There is always a competition between the fans too. There is a cheering section for the home team and the visiting team and they come and go and that is itself a competition. "
Eom Ho-yong says he has watched baseball since 1982 and took his 11-year-old son with him to watch this game.
He says he's not worried about the exposure as they wash their hands, wear masks, and socially distance themselves from others, but he admits not being able to sing too much is a challenge.
"To create the atmosphere of Korean baseball, everyone has to come together, it's like a rock concert. Since we can't do that, it's pretty sad," he said.
Spectators are still not allowed in towns like Gwangju and Daejeon due to recent gatherings in these areas.
There's no doubt the stadium is quieter, the cheers less overwhelming, but the very fact that the fans are there is a big step for South Korea, a symbolic nod to the way the country has handled. the pandemic. It's not quite the same, but what is it these days?
Gawon Bae and Jake Kwon contributed to this report.
