The research team of Professor Seomgyun Lee in the Department of Sport Science at Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) recently won Second Prize in the Young Investigator Award at the 2025 World Congress on Kinesiology and Sport Science, held at the Jeju International Convention Center.

Professor Lee, together with professors from Myongji University and Quinnipiac University (USA), presented research outcomes under the title 'From Human Calls to Automation'. The study analyzed changes in players' actual in-game performance caused by the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS), introduced in Korea Professional Baseball (KBO), using deep learning-based machine learning techniques.

In his presentation, Professor Lee explained, 'We focused on identifying, based on data, how the ABS system has practically affected the strategies and performance of pitchers and batters,' adding, 'The pattern of changes compared to the existing umpire decision system will provide an important reference for future improvements to professional sports regulations.'

He continued, 'It was meaningful to share and discuss our research outcomes with leading scholars from around the world, and receiving this award made it even more rewarding,' and emphasized, 'Going forward, we will closely analyze how newly introduced rules and technologies in the professional sports industry affect performance and fan experience, and further advance AI- and big data-based research to provide insightful analyses.'