Kiwoom GM "Kang Jung-ho Withdraws Return... Decided to Respect Player's Wishes"

Kang Jung-ho "I Realized My Greed Became a Burden to Many People"

Kang Jung-ho (32), who attempted to return to domestic professional baseball, ultimately withdrew his comeback amid fierce public criticism.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] The Kiwoom Heroes of the professional baseball KBO League have accepted the decision of Kang Jung-ho (32) to withdraw his intention to return.

Kim Chi-hyun, Kiwoom's general manager, said on the 29th, "I received a call from Kang Jung-ho last night (28th)." He added, "Kang Jung-ho apologized, saying he has caused a lot of burden to those around him because of himself."

He also said, "There have been many discussions within the club about Kang Jung-ho, but our club decided to respect the player's wishes."

Earlier, Kang Jung-ho announced his intention to withdraw his return application through his social network service (SNS) account.

Kang Jung-ho explained the reason for withdrawal, saying, "I realized too late that my greed became a burden to baseball fans, the KBO League, the Kiwoom club, and my teammates."

After holding an apology press conference on the 23rd, he stayed in his hometown Gwangju to contemplate, then returned to Seoul on the 28th and, after consulting with his agent, decided to withdraw.

Kang Jung-ho debuted in the KBO League in 2006 wearing the Heroes uniform. Later, in 2015, he moved to the Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball through the posting system (private competitive bidding).

While he was on a smooth path in Major League Baseball, he caused controversy by committing a hit-and-run drunk driving accident in Seoul in December 2016.

Kang Jung-ho took a break in 2017 due to the U.S. authorities' refusal to issue a visa, returned to the U.S. in 2018, but failed to demonstrate his previous skills and was released after the 2019 season.

Last month, Kang Jung-ho submitted a reinstatement application for voluntary retirement to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) office and actively pursued a domestic return, but faced strong public backlash and gave up on returning on this day.