(LEAD) Arrest warrant sought for Kia Tigers' manager over bribery charges

▲ Kim Jong-kook, manager of the Kia Tigers (Yonhap)

(LEAD) baseball manager-arrest warrant

(LEAD) Arrest warrant sought for Kia Tigers' manager over bribery charges

(ATTN: UPDATES with specified charges in 4th para)

SEOUL, Jan. 29 (Yonhap) -- Prosecutors have sought arrest warrants for the sitting manager and a former general manager of the Kia Tigers professional baseball team, both on bribery charges, officials said Monday.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors office filed for the warrants last Wednesday to arrest manager Kim Jong-kook and former general manager Jang Jung-suk, the officials said.

The prosecution has been looking into suspicions that Jang, while serving as the team's general manager, asked a free agent player for a kickback during negotiations with him. Jang was fired from the team last year.

During the investigation, prosecutors confirmed additional charges against Jang and the sitting manager that they took tens of millions of won and 100 million won (US$74,878) from a coffee chain, respectively, in return for helping the chain sign a sponsorship deal with the Kia Tigers.

His team said the previous day that Kim has been suspended from his duties as manager.

The Seoul Central District Court is expected to hold a hearing Tuesday to determine whether to grant the warrant requests.

It marks the first arrest warrant sought for a sitting professional baseball team manager on corruption suspicions.

Previously, Kim Jin-young, manager of the now-disbanded Sammi Superstars, was arrested in 1983 on charges of assaulting an umpire during a game, becoming the first-ever sitting professional baseball team manager to be arrested.

(END)

<저작권자(c) 연합뉴스, 무단 전재-재배포, AI 학습 및 활용 금지>

(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved