Ex-Pirates Infielder Jung Ho Kang Suspended for 1 Year by KBO for DUI Arrests

The KBO League suspended veteran infielder Jung Ho Kang for one year because of multiple arrests for driving under the influence, according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency. 

Kang has spent four seasons in MLB, all with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made 65 appearances in 2019, batting .169 with 10 home runs and 24 RBI.

The Pirates designated Kang for assignment last August, and he failed to return to the majors with another team.

In April, the 33-year-old began working toward a return to the KBO League. In doing so, he opened himself up to a a lengthy suspension from the league.

Kang missed the entire 2017 MLB season after the Pirates placed him on the restricted list. He had been arrested for DUI and fleeing the scene in South Korea in December 2016. It was his third DUI charge since 2009.

The Yonhap News Agency's Yoo Jee-ho noted Kang could've been suspended for up to three years under KBO rules.

Kang last played for the Nexen Heroes in 2014, and the Heroes retain his contract rights. Nexen will have to remove him from the KBO's "voluntarily retired" list before can return to the field.