On the 29th, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office (Chief Prosecutor Lee Il-kyu) announced on the 24th that it had requested arrest warrants for KIA Tigers coach Kim Jong-guk and former general manager Jang Jung-seok on charges such as breach of trust, respectively.
Earlier, former general manager Jang caused a stir after he was found to have demanded back money during contract negotiations with Park Dong-won (current LG Twins), who was qualified as a free agent (FA) and applied for it.
After signing the FA contract, he asked for a certain amount of money, which was an unbelievable act of misconduct by the head of the front office. Former general manager Jang was criticized even more for explaining the remarks, saying, “It was a joke.”
KIA immediately dismissed former general manager Jang after the incident, but this was not the end.
The prosecution identified additional charges in the process of investigating the “suspected demand for back money” case requested by the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO).
Kim’s alleged breach of trust refers to “an act in which a person who handles the affairs of another person has received an illegal request for his/her duties and has taken property or property gains.”
Although the exact details are not known, the fact that has been confirmed so far can be seen as a situation in which some of the money that former general manager Jang unfairly pocketed went to head coach Kim.
The investigative agency’s request for an arrest warrant is significant. This is because the prosecution has reason to suspect that Jang and Kim committed crimes, and judged that they could destroy evidence or run away.
Notably, Kim is still the manager of Kia. Kia plans to move to Australia for its spring camp on Thursday
With the prosecution even requesting an arrest warrant, it seems difficult for Kim to maintain his position. The investigation has not been completed yet and Yoo has not been confirmed to be innocent, but he cannot leave the baton to someone who is on the list of investigators due to unfavorable circumstances.
As the investigation into Jang, who started in April last year, is not over yet, it is uncertain how long Kim’s investigation will take. For KIA, it may be better to resign Kim and search for a new coach to quickly fix the mood of the team ahead of the opening.
Meanwhile, director Kim and former general manager Jang will be interrogated before arrest at 10:30 a.m. on the 30th at the hearing of Yoo Chang-hoon, a senior judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court.
If Kim is arrested, he will be the second incumbent professional baseball coach to be arrested. Earlier in 1983, Jinyoung Kim, who was at the helm of the Sammi Superstars at the time, was arrested and charged with assaulting the referee during the game, disobeying the decision.
BY: 먹튀검증