Kang Jung-ho, third baseman at US Pittsburgh Pirates, was handed down a suspended jail term for driving under the influence of alcohol, an accident which earlier led to the revocation of his driver’s license.

The Seoul Central District Court sentenced Kang to eight months in prison, with a suspension of two years, for a DUI car accident.

Prosecutors had demanded a summary order with a fine of 15 million won ($13,000) on the baseball star but the court decided that his case must be handed over to trial.

The suspended term allows Kang to travel back to the United States and join his team for spring training, but may pose challenge on his acquisition of a working visa, a prerequisite for joining the Major League.

Kang was indicted for hitting a guardrail at an intersection in Gangnam on Dec. 2 and fleeing the scene. A friend surnamed Yoo claimed to have been behind the wheel but it was later revealed that Kang was the culprit, with a blood alcohol content of 0.084 percent, exceeding the legal limit of 0.05 percent.

His alcohol content would normally have led to a mere suspension of driving license, but due to two previous cases in 2009 and 2011, his license was immediate revoked.

()


koreaherald@heraldcorp.com