'Hwang Jae-gyun's Delay and Divorce Rumors, Late-Night Drinking Controversy with Women... KBO Says "Personal Privacy"'

Hwang Jae-gyun, Recent Controversy Over Late-Night Drinking with Women
Following Complaints... KBO "Not a Violation of Regulations"

Former T-ara member Jiyeon and professional baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun (KT Wiz), who has been embroiled in divorce rumors, recently sparked controversy after having late-night drinking gatherings with women. In response, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) stated that it is a "personal matter" and announced a policy of no disciplinary action.

On the 23rd, an online community post titled "Hwang Jae-gyun 'drinking party incident' disciplinary complaint, KBO response shared" was uploaded to the overseas baseball gallery on the online community 'DC Inside.' The author, Mr. A, said, "On the 8th, I filed a petition through the National Petition System asking the KBO to thoroughly investigate the 'hunting pocha late-night drinking party incident,'" and disclosed the response he received.

Wedding photo of professional baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun and Jiyeon, former member of T-ara

According to the response from the National Petition System disclosed by Mr. A, the KBO stated, "The matter concerning player Hwang Jae-gyun is judged to be related to the player's personal life rather than an act damaging dignity as stipulated in the relevant clause," effectively indicating that disciplinary action is not possible. The disciplinary committee under Article 151 of the KBO regulations, which the author raised as an issue, is convened for reasons such as drunk driving, harsh acts, and assault, but the drinking party controversy involving Hwang Jae-gyun was explained as a personal matter, not a violation of regulations.

Mr. A mentioned disciplinary cases involving players Han Hyun-hee, Ahn Woo-jin, Yoon Dae-kyung, and Joo Hyun-sang in his petition. Regarding this, the KBO said, "The disciplinary cases of those players differ from Hwang Jae-gyun's case because they violated quarantine guidelines during the serious COVID-19 period," and added, "The disciplinary action related to player Na Gyun-an's personal life controversy was a club-level disciplinary measure and not under KBO regulations."

Hwang Jae-gyun was involved in controversy after holding a gathering with acquaintances, including women, at a bar in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, until 6 a.m. on the 1st. This fact became known when the bar owner posted a video on their social media (SNS) capturing Hwang Jae-gyun's appearance. Mr. A referred to this as the "hunting pocha drinking party incident" and said, "Currently, Hwang Jae-gyun is the most senior member of the KT Wiz team and it is an important regular league season. With the upcoming autumn baseball season ahead, it did not look good for a married man to be at a mixed-gender drinking party until 6 a.m." He also stated, "Given the divorce rumors, Hwang Jae-gyun's behavior is even harder to understand."

On the 20th, Jiyeon resumed her YouTube activities. Her left hand does not show a wedding ring. [Image source=YouTube channel 'Jiyeon' capture]

Hwang Jae-gyun and Jiyeon were married in December 2022. The couple, who have shown affectionate appearances by running a YouTube channel together, have been the subject of public speculation due to divorce rumors that surfaced in June. Earlier, during a baseball broadcast on Busan Gyeongnam region's KNN radio, a commentator casually remarked, "Isn't Hwang Jae-gyun divorced?" which triggered the spread of the divorce rumors. This comment was broadcast live on the radio. Subsequently, a former representative of Jiyeon's agency stated, "After confirming directly with her, the divorce rumors are unfounded." However, after the rumors arose, Jiyeon stopped her YouTube activities, and Hwang Jae-gyun's drinking party controversy has kept the divorce and discord rumors from subsiding.

Meanwhile, Jiyeon resumed her YouTube activities on the 20th after about three months. On that day, Jiyeon released a video titled "T-ara 15th Anniversary Fan Meeting Preview." The video showed Jiyeon filming while preparing for the 15th anniversary fan meeting with T-ara members Hyomin, Qri, and Eunjung. However, Jiyeon appeared in the video without wearing her wedding ring and did not mention her married life with her husband Hwang Jae-gyun at all.