KIA Terminates Contract with Manager Kim Jong-guk One Day Before Decision on Suspension

"We Will Appoint a Successor Coach Soon"

Professional baseball team KIA Tigers terminated the contract with Manager Kim Jong-guk just one day after suspending his duties.

On the 29th, the KIA organization announced, "Through an internal investigation, we confirmed that Manager Kim Jong-guk is a suspect and is under prosecution investigation for charges of breach of trust and accepting bribes," adding, "Regardless of the prosecution's investigation results, we have decided to terminate the contract with Manager Kim due to conduct damaging the team's dignity." The KIA organization also stated that they will appoint a successor manager as soon as possible.

Photo by Yonhap News

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced on the same day that they had requested an arrest warrant on the 24th against former KIA general manager Jang Jeong-seok, who was dismissed for demanding kickbacks from players, and Manager Kim Jong-guk on charges of breach of trust and accepting bribes. It is known that during a search of former general manager Jang in November last year, additional charges against him and the breach of trust and bribery charges against Manager Kim were uncovered.

Manager Kim and former general manager Jang are reported to have received money and valuables worth around 100 million won and several tens of millions of won, respectively, from a coffee company sponsoring the KIA organization. This company is said to have handed money to Manager Kim several times with the intention of helping to secure a sponsorship agreement with the KIA organization.

Breach of trust and accepting bribes is a charge applied when one receives an illicit request related to their duties and gains financial benefits.

Initially, the KIA organization stated that they would suspend Manager Kim's duties and monitor the investigation before deciding on his position, but they took a tough stance by terminating the contract, effectively equivalent to dismissal, just one day later.

Manager Kim, who played as a player and served as a strategy coach and head coach for the KIA Tigers, was appointed as the 10th manager of KIA in December 2021 under a contract worth a total of 1.05 billion won, including a 300 million won signing bonus and an annual salary of 250 million won for a three-year term.

In his first year, he led the team to 5th place and the wildcard playoff, but last year, due to a series of injuries to key players late in the season, the team finished in 6th place. This year was the final year of his contract.