Police Send 7 Including NC Dinos Players to Prosecution Over 'Drinking Party Controversy'

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] Former and current baseball players who violated quarantine guidelines by holding drinking parties and providing false statements about their movements during epidemiological investigations have been referred to the prosecution.

According to the police on the 24th, the Gangnam Police Station in Seoul sent a total of seven people to the prosecution the day before on charges of violating the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act, including NC Dinos players Lee Myung-ki, Kwon Hee-dong, and Park Seok-min, former baseball player A, and three ordinary women who drank with the players.

The NC players are accused of violating the 'ban on gatherings of five or more people' by drinking with two ordinary women, a total of six people, at a hotel accommodation in Gangnam-gu on July 5-6, but they concealed this fact during the epidemiological investigation after testing positive for COVID-19.

In response, Gangnam-gu requested an investigation by the police on July 14, stating, "Five confirmed cases, including three NC Dinos players and two ordinary women, provided false statements about their movements." It was also discovered that the women who dined with the NC players drank at a hotel with two players each from Kiwoom Heroes and Hanwha Eagles, as well as former baseball player A, one day before meeting them, leading to an additional investigation request.

The police found that former professional baseball player A, who was the subject of the second investigation, and one ordinary woman were also guilty, but decided not to prosecute the Kiwoom and Hanwha players. According to the police investigation based on hotel CCTV footage, it was found that the time they spent in the same space was short.