Kia Tigers Suspend Manager Kim Jong-guk Amid 'Bribery Allegations'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The KIA Tigers suspended Manager Kim Jong-guk's duties on the 28th, two days before departing for their training camp in Australia.

The KIA organization confirmed on the 25th, based on a tip-off, that Manager Kim was under investigation by authorities, and on the 27th, they finalized this confirmation during a meeting with him. They added that they judged Manager Kim could not perform his duties properly as the team's leader and therefore decided to suspend him.

Manager Kim is currently under investigation for allegations of bribery. A KIA official explained, "It is not related to the independent baseball team." Recently, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) conducted an internal investigation after receiving a tip that an executive of an independent baseball team had accepted money from a player, using his connection with a certain professional baseball manager as leverage for the player's professional entry.

KIA will decide on Manager Kim's future after monitoring the investigation. The first-team spring camp held in Canberra, Australia, will proceed under the leadership of Head Coach Jin Gap-yong.