According to Jeeho Yoo, Pittsburgh Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang was arrested early on Friday morning for a DUI and leaving the scene of an accident. Yoo said in the second tweet below that Kang had a blood alcohol level of 0.084, which is well above the 0.05 local limit.
Breaking: #Pirates 3B Jung Ho Kang charged with leaving the scene of a DUI accident in Seoul on Friday, Dec. 2.
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) December 1, 2016
Re: Jung Ho Kang situation, his blood alcohol content was 0.084%, subject to license suspension. The legal limit is 0.05%.
— Jeeho Yoo (@Jeeho_1) December 2, 2016
The accident happened at 2:48 AM local time in Korea, according to Daniel Kim. Sung Min Kim has additional details of the accident:
https://twitter.com/sung_minkim/status/804471457019367424
The Pirates are looking into the report and will issue a statement later tonight. We will post an update when one becomes available.
UPDATE 8:58 PM: Frank Coonelly issued a statement on the news:
“We have been made aware of the very serious charges filed against Jung Ho Kang early Friday morning in Seoul, South Korea.
“We are extremely disappointed in Jung Ho and in his decision process during this matter. I know first hand how foolish and dangerous it is to drive under the influence and am most thankful that, as we understand it, no one was injured.
“We will have further comment once we have been able to gather all of the relevant facts and speak with the player.”
UPDATE 12:14 AM: Here is dash cam footage of the accident, which looks like it could have been a lot worse if those poles weren’t there.
UPDATE FRIDAY 9:48 AM: Kang issued the following statement and apology for his actions.
“I’d like to apologize to everyone who is disappointed with me. Today, I got behind the wheel after drinking, and committed an irrevocable mistake. I panicked at the moment of the accident and did something that I never should have done. I am deeply regretting the incident. I will humbly accept whatever punishment is deemed fit for my actions.”