AFP/Seoul
A star South Korean pitcher looking to sign a US major league baseball contract has been dragged into a widening probe into illegal gambling overseas, his lawyer said yesterday.
Oh Seung-Hwan, one of the most successful closers in the history of Korean baseball, is expected to be summoned by prosecutors in Seoul as early as this week to answer questions related to gambling abroad—which is prohibited by South Korean law.
The probe comes at an awkward time for the 33-year-old whose current contract with Japanese club Hanshin Tigers ends this year and who is looking for a move to the US major leagues.
“With a possible major league contract on the horizon, Oh wants to clear his name at the earliest possible date,” the pitcher’s lawyer said. “If and when he presents himself to prosecutors, he will be wholly truthful and cooperative.”
Oh, who has won Japan’s Central League best closer title for the past two years, is reportedly accused of gambling over $100,000 in Macau in January,
Gambling is heavily restricted in South Korea, which allows local residents to enter just one of the country’s 17 casinos. South Korea also prohibits its citizens gambling abroad, and habitual violators can face stiff fines and even jail time.
Oh’s name appears to have surfaced in an ongoing investigation into South Korean gangs who operate illegal gambling rooms for South Koreans in Macau and Southeast Asian countries like the Philippines, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
In November, the probe latched onto another star South Korean pitcher, Lim Chang-Yong of the Samsung Lions, who reportedly admitted to illegal gambling and was promptly released by the club.
The Lions had already struck two other top pitchers from their roster in October when they were implicated in the same investigation. So far, prosecutors have indicted 14 gang members and fixers, as well as 12 businessmen for illegally gambling overseas.
