Prosecutors to seek arrest warrant for coach Kang

Prosecutors investigating a match-fixing scandal in professional basketball said Thursday they plan to seek an arrest warrant for an active head coach for his role in rigging games.

Prosecutors in Euijeongbu, north of Seoul, said they have confirmed star coach Kang Dong-hee's involvement in match fixing and can file for a warrant later Thursday.

According to prosecutors, Kang allegedly took cash from two gambling brokers on four occasions during the playoffs in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) in March 2011. Kang has been the head coach of the KBL's Dongbu Promy since the 2009-2010 season.

The Promy lost in the championship final in 2011 to the KCC Egis.

Kang had earlier denied all fixing allegations surrounding him, saying he'd never taken money from any brokers.

On Feb. 28, prosecutors arrested a broker, surnamed Choi, for allegedly offering Kang some 30 million won (US$27,660) to fix games. Then on Wednesday this week, they arrested a second broker, a former professional baseball player surnamed Cho, for the same charges.

Kang, 46, is the first active coach of a South Korea professional sports team to come under match-fixing suspicions. If convicted, Kang faces up to five years in jail or up to 50 million won in fines. (Yonhap News)