Ex-KBO club manager, executive acquitted of bribery charges

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Yonhap) -- Former Kia Tigers general manager Jang Jung-suk and skipper Kim Jong-kook were both acquitted of bribery charges Friday.

The Seoul Central District Court found the two figures not guilty, after they had been accused of receiving 100 million won (US$74,840) from the CEO of a food company in October 2022 in exchange for helping the business sign a sponsorship deal with the Tigers, a Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) club based in the southwestern city of Gwangju.

The court also found the CEO, surnamed Kim, not guilty of bribery charges.

Kim Jong-kook, who had been named manager in December 2021, faced separated charges of receiving 60 million won in exchange for putting the company's logo on the Tigers' uniform.

The court said the company did not receive any favor from the Tigers and ended up paying more for its advertising than it normally would have. The court added it found no evidence of any preferential treatment offered by the ball club to the company.

Kim was fired on Jan. 29 as prosecutors in Seoul began their investigation into his charges. The Tigers promoted hitting coach Lee Bum-ho as their new manager, and they went on to post the best regular-season record this year. They will play in the Korean Series starting Oct. 21 and will chase their 12th KBO championship.

Jang had been general manager from November 2021 to March 2023, when he was fired for allegedly asking a free agent player for a kickback during contract negotiations.

Jang was acquitted of those charges on Friday as well, with the court saying Jang's alleged tampering with the free agent did not constitute a criminal act and it was up to the KBO to decide any disciplinary measure on Jang for violating league regulations.

jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)