Four Lotte Giants Players Forced to Return over Illegal Gambling... Deny Sexual Harassment Allegation as "Untrue"

Na Seungyeop, Ko Seungmin, Kim Donghyuk, Kim Semin
Club Strongly Denies Sexual Harassment Allegation: "Not True"

Players of the Lotte Giants professional baseball team playing games at an illegal gambling venue. Screenshot from an online community.

It has been confirmed that players belonging to the Lotte Giants professional baseball team visited an illegal gambling venue while in Taiwan for spring training camp.

On the 14th, the Lotte Giants club announced, "As a result of player interviews and fact-checking, we confirmed that four players, including Na Seungyeop, Ko Seungmin, Kim Donghyuk, and Kim Semin, visited a venue in Taiwan that is classified as illegal." It was initially known that three players had entered the illegal gambling venue.

The players claim that they did not know it was an illegal gambling venue, but Lotte stated, "Regardless of the reason, we will immediately send these four players back to Korea, as they engaged in conduct that violates the rules of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) and the club's internal regulations."

In addition, the club plans to report the case to the KBO Clean Baseball Center and take corresponding measures depending on the outcome. After returning to Korea, the four players will be excluded from training until further action is decided.

Lotte said, "We take the current situation very seriously. We will respond strictly to any additional issues identified through a full-scale investigation," adding, "We have also issued a warning to the entire team. We once again apologize for causing controversy."

Previously, screenshots from CCTV (closed-circuit television) footage showing Lotte players at a game venue in Taiwan spread rapidly through an online community. In the CCTV footage, the individuals were seen enjoying entertainment while watching the screen at the game venue. One player also appeared to be touching the body of a female employee.

Afterward, Lotte acknowledged the visit to the illegal gambling venue but strongly denied the sexual harassment allegation. A Lotte official said, "It seems a misunderstanding arose because of the position of the player's hand. The employee was standing further forward than the player's hand, so there was no physical contact." The player involved is also said to feel wronged about the allegation.