BRADENTON, Fla. _ Jung Ho Kang is scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for the first day of his trial for a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol in Seoul, South Korea. The trial is expected to begin at 4 p.m. locally, according to Yonhap News, which is 2 a.m. Eastern.
Kang agreed to participate in a treatment program recommended by a joint panel agreed upon by Major League Baseball and the player's union, his agent told the Post-Gazette earlier this month, but his case _ Kang's third DUI-related arrest since 2009 _ proceeded to trial anyway.
Kang, currently absent from Pirates spring training, was arrested Dec. 2 after crashing into a guardrail in Seoul and fleeing the scene. A passenger claimed to be the driver, but police determined Kang drove. At the time, the Pirates said they were not aware of the previous DUIs.
"Clearly, the more you know, the better off you are," Pirates owner Bob Nutting said Tuesday. "What we need to focus on now is where we are right now, and clearly it's not an ideal circumstance. We are absolutely disappointed that he has put himself and the organization in this circumstance. As importantly, he is disappointed and embarrassed that he has put the team in this place as well."
Nutting said he hoped Kang would "work through his challenges in Korea" and be able to return to the United States. The Pirates would "prefer not to be here," he added, but are eager to help.
"I think, frankly, we'll be well positioned to help Jung Ho get back on his feet, get himself re-established, be in a community that will support him," Nutting said. "At the same time, we will hold high level of expectation and demands on him."
Nutting declined to say whether Kang might face discipline from the team, saying it was "probably not appropriate" to speak on it before the case has passed through the legal system.
