Appeals court upholds jail term for MLB player Kang Jung-ho
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Kang Jung-ho leaves the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-dong, Seoul, Thursday, after his earlier sentence was confirmed. / Yonhap
By Ko Dong-hwan
An appeals court Thursday confirmed Korean Major League Baseball player Kang Jung-ho’s jail term on a charge of driving under the influence.
The Seoul Central District Court dismissed Kang’s appeal and reaffirmed the first hearing result in March, when he was sentenced to eight months’ jail, suspended for two years.
Prosecutors indicted Kang for crashing into a guardrail near Seoul’s Samseong Station in December and fleeing.
The court said the Pittsburgh Pirates hitter has been self-reflective and active in charity events. But it remained adamant about the seriousness of his crime. It was his third DUI charge ― he was fined in 2009 and 2011 ― and he attempted a cover-up by getting a friend to claim he drove the car.
Kang was denied a U.S. working visa in March following the latest conviction.