Former Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang was officially suspended for one year by the Korean Baseball Organization on Monday after three DUI arrests, according to ESPN.
Kang is not currently on a KBO team, and the suspension will kick in once he is on one. The Kiwoom Heroes currently own his rights.
The 33-year-old was also ordered to complete 300 hours of community service at the hearing on Monday.
"Over time, I came to realize just how important baseball is to me," Kang said, via the Yonhap News Agency. "I took putting on a uniform and getting on the field for granted, and I was a fool not to see how precious that was. I know I don't deserve to be saying this, but I would love one final opportunity to play baseball.”
Kang was arrested for his third DUI in December 2016 after he attempted to flee the scene of an accident. He was unable to obtain a work visa after that, and then missed all of the 2017 season with the Pirates. He finally had his work visa granted in April 2018, and announced a few months later that he had given up drinking.
He was released by the Pirates last season after four years in Pittsburgh, and officially applied for reinstatement to the KBO this week.
He played in the KBO from 2006-14 before making the jump to the United States, and batted nearly .300 with 139 home runs and 545 RBIs. He batted .254, hit 144 RBIs and had 46 homers during his time with the Pirates. He finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting during his first year in the United States, too, but broke his leg at the tail end of that season.
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