Pitchers get suspended jail terms for fixing matches

DAEGU (Yonhap News) -- A local court on Wednesday sentenced two pitchers charged with fixing matches to six months in prison, suspended for two years, and 7 million won ($6,154) each in fines.

The Daegu District Court also ordered 120 hours of community service for Park Hyun-jun and Kim Seong-hyun, who played for the Seoul-based LG Twins in South Korea‘s top professional baseball league.

Last month, the Korea Baseball Organization, which runs the league, suspended the two players indefinitely after allegations they took kickbacks from a gambling broker in exchange for issuing first-inning walks last season.

Judge Yang Ji-jeong said the pitchers were involved in “few” cases of match fixing and acknowledged and showed remorse for their crimes, leading to their prison sentence being suspended.

Seven active and retired professional volleyball players charged in a separate match fixing scandal also received actual or suspended prison terms, along with seven brokers and financiers involved in the scheme. Two other players were each ordered to pay a 7 million won fine.

“Match fixing by professional players in fair competition is a serious and unacceptable crime,” Yang said.