Jung Ho Kang has not spoken much publicly since the drunken-driving arrest last year that caused him to lose his U.S. work visa and miss the entire 2017 Pirates season.
In a series of interviews with the Korean Yonhap News Agency, however, the third baseman expressed regret about his actions and opened up about a wide range of issues related to his year away from baseball.
"Something like that must never happen again, and I am trying to be a better man," Kang told the Korean news service of his arrest.
Kang has spent his time away from the Pirates in his native Korea, working with youth players and donating equipment to schools.
He also said he has followed the Pirates closely and kept in touch with his teammates. Outfielder Andrew McCutchen sent him a text message in Korean, and he said outfielder Starling Marte and catcher Francisco Cervelli have been in touch as well.
"I miss the feeling of getting into games with the guys and winning together," he told Yonhap. "I've been following the club over here. When I wake up in the morning, I always check to see how the team is doing."
The next move for Kang is winter ball, even though he doesn't know what follows that as he continues to deal with U.S. visa issues. He's scheduled to play in the Dominican Republic; the Pirates' goal is to keep him sharp after months away from competitive baseball.
For his part, Kang thought it was an easy decision.
"Just the fact that I'll be playing actual games will be significant in and of itself," Kang said. "The most important thing is to make adjustments as quickly as I can, and just get back my feel for the game. I've been away for too long.
"I'd never thought about the Dominican Republic as a possible option, but the Pirates brought that up first," Kang added. "They told me it'd be good for me and I agreed to give it a shot."
