KBO gives ex-MLBer Kang 1-year ban for past DUIs

Former Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang was handed a one-year suspension Monday by the Korea Baseball Organization for driving under the influence of alcohol multiple times, according to Yoo Jee-ho of Yonhap News Agency.

Kang is also required to complete 300 hours of community service, Yoo added.

Now 33, Kang was arrested in 2016 after a DUI in South Korea and later received a suspended jail sentence. He was also caught driving under the influence in 2009 and 2011.

Kang, who was released by the Pirates in 2019, applied for reinstatement to the KBO last week. The KBO suspension won't come into effect until he's removed from the voluntarily retired list and joins a team, Yoo reports.

"Over time, I came to realize just how important baseball is to me," Kang said in a public apology through his 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 played in the KBO from 2006-14 before joining the Pirates in 2015. He didn't play during the 2017 season after failing to receive a U.S. work visa.