A man is seen stretching his hand toward a female employee in footage reportedly taken at a gambling venue in Taiwan on Feb. 12, with players from the Lotte Giants allegedly appearing in the video. (X)
A man is seen stretching his hand toward a female employee in footage reportedly taken at a gambling venue in Taiwan on Feb. 12, with players from the Lotte Giants allegedly appearing in the video. (X)

Social media posts circulating in Taiwan allege a player from the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization League touched a staff member inappropriately at a gambling venue during the team’s spring training in Taiwan.

The controversy escalated after surveillance footage from a venue visited by several players on Feb. 12 surfaced online.

In the video, a man believed to be a Lotte Giants player appears to extend his hand toward the back of a female staff member, prompting speculation that the gesture involved inappropriate physical contact.

The players had already drawn criticism after being caught visiting a gambling establishment that is classified as illegal in Taiwan.

The footage has since fueled further accusations online, with some local posts interpreting the gesture as a deliberate act of sexual harassment and even naming the player believed to be in the video.

A man suspected to be a Lotte Giants player is seen stretching his hand toward a female staff member at a gambling venue in Taiwan in this screenshot from a video taken on Feb. 12. (X)
A man suspected to be a Lotte Giants player is seen stretching his hand toward a female staff member at a gambling venue in Taiwan in this screenshot from a video taken on Feb. 12. (X)

The club has strongly denied the allegation.

“It is not true at all. The position of the hand created a misunderstanding,” a team official said. “The staff member was away from where the hand reached, so there was no physical contact. The player feels deeply wronged.”

The player reportedly explained that he had merely intended to call the staff member over and had no sexual intent.

According to Taiwanese media reports, local police did not proceed with a sexual harassment inquiry as there was no claim from the woman in the video that any inappropriate contact had occurred.

However, investigations into the gambling incident are expected to continue. The venue the players visited is banned under Taiwanese law, and South Korean nationals are also prohibited from gambling overseas.

Earlier, the Lotte Giants confirmed that players Na Seung-yeup, Go Seung-min, Kim Dong-hyeok and Kim Se-min visited a venue considered illegal in Taiwan. The club immediately ordered the players to return to Korea.

The team said it would report the matter to the Clean Baseball Center of the KBO and take disciplinary action in accordance with the outcome of the investigation.

Under KBO regulations, a registered player found to have engaged in illegal gambling may face suspension of at least one month or a ban of at least 30 games, along with a fine of no less than 3 million won ($2,100).


forestjs@heraldcorp.com