What kind of punishment will the reward and punishment committee give? Predictions range from suspensions to fines.
The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) will open a reward and punishment committee for the belated drinking controversy of national players who competed in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in March.
KBO announced on the 7th at 11:00 am that it will hold a reward and punishment committee for SSG Kim Gwang-hyun, NC Lee Yong-chan and Doosan Jeong Cheol-won in relation to the WBC national team drinking controversy. The reward/punishment committee is held privately.
Athletes can attend if they wish to speak directly to the reward/punishment committee. Kim Gwang-hyeon, Lee Yong-chan, and Jeong Cheol-won are known to plan to attend the reward and punishment committee and make their own calls. Kim Gwang-hyeon, Lee Yong-chan, and Jeong Cheol-won admitted to drinking at an entertainment center in downtown Tokyo, Japan during the tournament, on the days before the game and the night before the rest day.
Article 13 of the National Team Operation Regulations [Penalty] stipulates that a person who has caused social controversy can hold a disciplinary committee. Discipline is applied in accordance with the KBO Rules and Penalty Regulations.
Article 151 of the Yagyu Code [Acts of damaging dignity] stipulates that players, coaches, coaches, club employees, or referees may cause damage to dignity outside of the game, such as drug crimes, military service corruption, racial discrimination, violence, sex crimes, drunk driving, gambling, doping, etc. If an act causes social controversy, appropriate sanctions may be imposed, such as disqualification, suspension of duties, suspension of participation activities, suspension of business trips, imposition of fines, or warnings.’
Drinking itself does not fall under the category of demeaning acts like gambling, violence, or drunk driving. However, at the WBC, he finished with a disappointing result of being eliminated in the first round, and the fact that he was drinking was revealed belatedly, and public criticism from fans was fierce.
Kim Kwang-hyeon, Lee Yong-chan, and Jeong Cheol-won admitted their faults for drinking at an entertainment establishment and apologized side by side. Attention is focusing on the opinion of the Reward and Punishment Committee whether to punish the three players who are self-restraint after announcing an apology and dropping out of the first team entry for damage to dignity as a national representative in a comprehensive sense. In the field, there are opinions that expect suspension of business trips, while others say that fines and youth volunteer activities are enough. The least severe punishment is a ‘warning’.
A media outlet revealed that on the 30th of last month, some players of the WBC national team had been drinking with a female waitress at an entertainment establishment all night ahead of the matches against Australia and Japan. Due to the revelation that he drank at a room salon until dawn before the game, the KBO League became a mess.
However, the KBO and nine clubs entered into a fact-finding investigation, and the results were slightly different from the first exposure. Kwang-Hyun Kim, Yong-Chan Lee, and Cheol-Won Jeong submitted a police report to the KBO, and the KBO said on the 31st, “The three players did not enter the snack bar the night before the game during the tournament. However, on the day they moved from Osaka to Tokyo (7 Sunday) and the day before the rest day (10th), it was revealed that there was a fact that they had entered the establishment. Except for three players, they revealed through fact confirmation that they had not entered the entertainment establishment during the tournament.”
The date and place mentioned in the initial report were different. I drank it on non-game nights, and said it was a snack bar without a female waitress. Kim Gwang-hyun drank with an acquaintance on Lee Dong-il (7th), and the day before the rest day (10th), he drank with his junior Jeong Cheol-won. Lee Yong-chan said that he drank with an acquaintance the day before the rest day (10th).
Prior to the game on the 1st, Kim Gwang-hyeon, Lee Yong-chan, and Jeong Cheol-won publicly apologized in front of the reporters before the game. Kim Gwang-hyun said at SSG Landers Field in Incheon on the 1st, “I stood in front of the media and fans to apologize for my unsavory behavior during the WBC tournament. Regardless of the reason, I would like to express my sincere apologies to all baseball-loving fans, media, and baseball seniors and juniors for acting thoughtlessly during the international tournament. As a veteran of the team, he was very short-tempered and regrets not being able to control himself,” he said with a bowed head.
Lee Yong-chan said at Changwon NC Park on the 1st, “First of all, I am sorry for disappointing the fans and all the officials who supported me a lot as a national representative. After staying for about 2 hours, I went back to my accommodation. Regardless of the reason, I am deeply reflecting on drinking during the international convention.”스포츠토토
Jeong Cheol-won also said at Changwon NC Park on the 1st, “First of all, as a professional baseball player, I have caused great disappointment to baseball fans and everyone by wearing the national team Taegeuk mark. I bow my head in apology. I had a drink. I did something embarrassing in a situation where many people were disappointed with the poor performance of the national team. I sincerely apologize.
Kim Gwang-hyeon was excluded from the first team entry on the 1st, and Lee Yong-chan and Jeong Cheol-won were excluded from the 2nd entry. Prior to the award and punishment committee, he is spending time on self-reflection by excluding entries.