Lotte Giants infielder Bae Young-bin (23), who was caught driving drunk and didn’t even report himself, is being criticized. Didn’t he think to use his predecessors’ case as an example?
“Bae Young-bin got behind the wheel after drinking with acquaintances and was stopped by the police and had his license revoked,” a Lotte team official told Star News on Thursday.
According to the club, Bae Young-bin drank with acquaintances in Seoul at the end of October and called for a substitute driver at around 1 a.m. Thinking that the driver would have a hard time finding him in an alley, Bae drove 300 meters to the side of the road. While stopping the car, he was caught in a police sobriety checkpoint.
Bae didn’t even report the incident to the club. A Lotte representative said, “The club found out about it (the drunk driving arrest) first and went through a verification process. He did not self-report,” the official explained. Lotte reported Bae’s DUI to the Korean Baseball Organization’s (KBO) Clean Baseball Center last week and removed him from final training.
According to KBO regulations, the sanction is a 70-game suspension for a license suspension, a one-year disqualification for a license revocation, a five-year disqualification for a second offense, and a permanent disqualification for three or more offenses. Previously, the penalty was a 50-game suspension for a first offense and a three-year ban for three or more offenses, but the system was changed in June last year. Bae Young-bin, whose license was revoked, will be disqualified for one year, making it difficult for him to play next season.
Lotte will hold an internal disciplinary committee on the case on the morning of the 16th. However, since the KBO and its 10 clubs have abolished club self-discipline to prevent double punishment, the only thing the club can do is “expel” the player, which does not constitute discipline. In November last year, the NC Dinos decided to release outfielder Kim Ki-hwan (28) after he caused a drunk driving accident.
In recent years, there has been a growing awareness in Korean society that drinking and driving is murder. In 2018, the case of the late Yoon Chang-ho, who died after being hit by a drunk driver while on leave from military service, led to the “Yoon Chang-ho Law,” which greatly increased the penalties for drunk driving, although it was ruled unconstitutional.
The KBO has also been steadily strengthening its disciplinary measures against drunk driving. In 2003, the league first inserted a disciplinary clause for off-field behavior such as drunk driving into the rules, and then decided on the level of discipline through a punishment committee. Then, it was changed to an automatic discipline based on the level of drunk driving, and last year, the punishment was even stronger.
The KBO also sent a clear message by blocking the return of three-time DUI offender Kang Jeong-ho, 35, formerly of Kiwoom. Kang, who was sentenced to eight months in jail and two years of probation for a drunk driving accident in late 2016, had hoped to return to Korea in 2020, but was given a one-year suspension by the KBO. He tried to join Kiwoom last year, but the KBO did not approve his contract.
With other players’ careers ending due to drunk driving, players are wary. An A-team player told Star News, “The dangers of drunk driving are now clear in my mind. Seeing the players whose careers ended after committing a drunk driving offense, I am truly aware of the dangers.” However, Bae Young-bin got behind the wheel after drinking alcohol even after seeing the examples of his seniors.
The fact that he didn’t report the incident to the club is also fatal. Lotte had already been caught in a lie by pitcher Seo Jun-won, 23, earlier this year. Seo was investigated by police late last year for creating sexually explicit material for minors, but did not report it to the club. He denied the allegations when asked to “come clean” in March of this year. However, he admitted to it shortly before media reports surfaced, which ultimately led to his release.
Bae joined Lotte as a developmental player this year after graduating from Seoul High and Hongik University. In 76 games in the Futures League, he batted .253 with two home runs, 21 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. He was recognized by the second-team coaching staff for his defense and was added to the first team for two days in early May. He was recalled again on Aug. 20 and made his first-team debut that same day, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs. He continued to impress, batting .313 (16-for-5) in 18 games for the first team this year.
In an interview with Star News in May, Bae said, “I was upset when I wasn’t named a rookie, but I felt so good when they called me. I didn’t want to be told that I didn’t work hard enough when I went to the pros, so I felt like I had to do my best.” However, his professional career took a turn for the worse when he committed an offense in his first year in the first team. 토토사이트