On the 23rd, something happened that turned the Korean baseball world upside down. The Busan District Prosecutor’s Office’s Women’s and Children’s Crime Investigation Department indicted former Lotte Giants Seo Jun-won without detention for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Adolescents’ Sexual Exploitation (production and distribution of sexual exploitation, etc.). In August 2022, Seo Jun-won is accused of producing sexual exploitation of children and adolescents by having a minor victim, whom he learned through social media, take a body picture and send it to him.
Lotte moved quickly after메이저사이트 recognizing that Seo Jun-won was involved in a crime involving a minor. On the 23rd, Lotte said, “We decided to release Seo Jun-won,” and “As soon as we confirmed that Seo Jun-won was investigated by the police for criminal acts against minors, and that he was transferred to the prosecution, we held a disciplinary committee. We have decided to withdraw, which is the highest level without any consideration.”
Seo Jun-won received the first nomination from the Lotte Giants in the 2019 rookie draft and stepped on the professional stage. Seo Jun-won, a sidearm pitcher, rose to prominence from his high school days by spraying fast balls that exceeded 150 km/h, and caught the attention of his scouts. And Lotte succeeded in holding Seo Jun-won in his arms. However, after his professional debut, his disappointment continued.
Seo Jun-won appeared in 33 games in his first season and recorded a record of 4 wins and 11 losses with an ERA of 5.47, hinting at the ‘possibility’ of being able to use it in the first team stage. But that was all. After wearing his professional uniform, Seo Jun-won’s weight began to increase noticeably, and he failed to manage himself every year, and instead of improving himself, he continued to walk in place.
Seo Jun-won started a family after spending the ‘Career Low’ season in 2020, and even had a son in the 2021 season. Seo Jun-won struggled to survive on the first team stage, and after the 2022 season was over, based on a different ‘responsibility’, he played in the Geelong Korea uniform. And through Guam and Ishigaki-Okinawa spring camps in Japan, he succeeded in losing weight and tried to show his clearly different appearance than before. But all of this collapsed in one blow.
Despite being investigated by the police since the end of last year, he did not inform the club, agency, or family of the crime. He denied the allegations even when stories of the crime leaked to online community sites. Rather, it was said that he had been to and from the court because he had been ‘frauded’ for a personal matter. Since the club is not an investigative agency, they had no choice but to believe the words of the player.
But he couldn’t cover the sky with his palm. On the morning of the 23rd, Seo Jun-won admitted that he had undergone a warrant review, and Lotte decided to ‘release’ the highest punishment. A Lotte official who was struck by lightning just sighed deeply, saying, “I went to Geelong Korea in Australia, and lost weight hard at Guam and Japan’s spring camp.” And Lotte Giants CEO Lee Kang-hoon and manager Larry Sutton also bowed their heads one after another.
It is clear that the club preparing for the 2023 season, which was expected or not, has become a mess due to Seo Jun-won. Perhaps it was because of the embarrassing crime that he was even talking about, Seo Jun-won put an end to his relationship with Lotte without apologizing to the club officials as well as to the players. An official from Lotte said, “I did not disclose the crime to the management team. Rather, they said it was not true.”
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) plans to hold a reward and punishment committee regarding Seo Jun-won’s sexual offenses against minors. The timing of the punishment and punishment is undecided, but considering the seriousness of the crime committed by Seo Jun-won, who is married and has children, he may not be able to return to the KBO league forever.