KBO suspends ex-Pirate Jung Ho Kang for one year for DUIs

On Monday, ESPN reported that the Korea Baseball Organization suspended former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang for one year for repeated drunken driving offenses.

The 33-year-old is also required to finish 300 hours of community service.

Kang's suspension only begins after he signs a new contract with a KBO club. He's currently in the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic. The Kiwoom Heroes possess his KBO rights.

Earlier this month, Kang, who has been arrested for DUI in South Korea on three occasions, applied for KBO reinstatement after he failed to catch on with an MLB organization. He was with the Pirates from 2015 through the summer of 2019 minus the 2017 campaign, which he missed because he couldn't obtain a visa due to his legal problems.

Pittsburgh designated Kang for assignment in early August 2019 after he batted an abysmal .169 across 65 games and 185 plate appearances last season.  

As Yoo Jee-ho of the Yonhap News Agency wrote, Kang issued an apology through the Leeco Sports Agency:

"Over time, I came to realize just how important baseball is to me. 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."