Pitcher Seo Jun-won, who wore a Lotte Giants uniform as the first pick in 2019, received a notice of release from the club. This is because it became known belatedly that he was being investigated for ‘crimes involving minors’.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, the Lotte club 먹튀검증said in a press release, “Lotte Giants decided to release pitcher Seo Jun-won. As soon as the club confirmed that Seo Jun-won had been investigated by the police for criminal acts against minors and was now transferred to the prosecution, the disciplinary action was taken on the 23rd. A committee was held,” he said.
The club decided to withdraw, the highest level of discipline, regardless of whether the prosecution was indicted or not. It is the position of the Lotte club that it will acknowledge the player’s negligence and strictly implement gender awareness education in the future to strictly prevent recurrence.
The downfall of a promising pitcher who represented the region and team
Seo Jun-won, who graduated from Gaeseong Middle School and Gyeongnam High School, was a promising pitcher who received expectations from the club even before joining the team. However, the chronic anxiety problem always got in the way, and each year, 2% of the results were disappointing.
In the 4th season, Dongeon’s first-team career record was 123 matches, 318⅔ innings, 15 wins, 23 losses, 5 holds, and an average ERA of 5.56. From 2021, I started to focus on the bullpen rather than starting in earnest, but it was definitely a season that discovered the possibility of change.
After last season, he was dispatched to Geelong Korea of the Australian Professional Baseball (ABL) and sweated hard all winter. He checked not only his fastball but also his breaking ball, and showed a powerful ball in the game where the zero was scored. His experience in Australia also seemed to help him.
After returning to his team, he was digesting the schedule for demonstration games following spring camp. He pitched in a total of three games before Doosan Bears on the 14th, SSG Landers on the 16th, and Samsung Lions on the 20th. And the game against Samsung on the 20th became his last game in which Seo Jun-won took the mound in a Lotte uniform.
Seo Jun-won was recently interrogated (substantial review of warrant) prior to arrest for charges of abduction and luring of minors. He was released from the detention center due to the court’s dismissal of the warrant, and the investigation is scheduled to take place in a state of detention. The prosecutor’s office will decide whether or not to prosecute after conducting a supplementary investigation.
Deviation by professional players, a major negative factor for the KBO League
Lotte club said in an apology issued in the name of the CEO, “I sincerely apologize for the recent unfortunate incident caused by a player belonging to the club. A professional baseball player who is supported by many fans It is absolutely unacceptable to commit crimes against minors.”
“This disgraceful act, which occurred for teenagers who love professional baseball and dream of watching players, hurt the hearts of many people. I apologize,” he added.
From the beginning of 2023, Korean baseball faced the big bad news of being eliminated in the first round of the World Baseball Classic (WBC). However, in this case, it is a different issue. I left the good or bad, and of course I committed what I shouldn’t have done.
Lotte, who belatedly grasped the situation, quickly took action, but fans’ anger and disappointment toward Seo Jun-won do not seem to be easily subdued. Management and education at the club are important, but the players themselves must be alert. As an adult and as a professional player, shouldn’t we keep the ‘basic’?