Lee Seung-yeop (이승엽, 李承燁, born August 8, 1976) is one of the most popular of South Korean athletes, having had a tournament-leading 5 home runs and 10 RBI in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, leading the South Korean squad to within one game of the championship round. In 2005 he was signed by the Yomiuri Giants in Japan, where in 2006 he has hit a league-leading 34 homers, including the 400th of his career, which makes him the first Korean to have 400 career homers (counting both the Japan League and the Korean Baseball Organization) and just the third person in history to hit them before the age of 30.
Nicknamed "The Lion King", he began his career with the Samsung Lions, for whom he played 9 seasons and became the youngest player in the world to reach 300 home runs. His 56 homers in 2003 are the most by an Asian player, in any country or league.
The New York Yankees have reportedly expressed interest in signing him for the 2007 season.
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