*This content was translated by AI.
"Right-handed fireballer" Park Joon-hyun (19), the No. 1 overall pick of the Kiwoom Heroes' 2026 rookie draft, headed to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the spring camp site, keeping his silence on the "school violence controversy."
Kiwoom's team, including coach Seol Jong-jin (53), left for the spring camp site through Incheon International Airport on the 22nd. Park Joon-hyun also appeared, but Kiwoom officials politely declined the interview request. It did not disclose its position on the recent controversy over school violence.
A Kiwoom official told the on-site reporters, "As a professional player, it is natural to respond to an interview request. But this is not the right time. "If the player's position is all over, I will definitely be in the interview," he stressed.
Park Joon-hyun is a "elementary school advanced" rookie who joined Kiwoom as the No. 1 overall pick at the 2026 rookie draft selection meeting held in September. There was a controversy over student A, who was a colleague when he was a student at Cheonan Bukil High School, but at the time of the nomination, the charges were said to be "no action." However, on December 8 of that year, after Kiwoom was nominated, the Administrative Appeals Committee of the Chungnam Office of Education decided to cancel the decision to "no action" made by the Cheonan Office of Education to Park Joon-hyun and change it to a written apology (No. 1). The decision that there was no charge of school violence was the smallest disposition, but it was changed to "some charges". Park Joon-hyun did not implement the "Written Apology," which was due on the 8th.
Kiwoom is in an embarrassing situation. What is clear is that at the time of the nomination, 'no action' was in place. In the end, the club decided to take Park Joon-hyun to the first-team spring camp after much consideration. He adhered to the position of the 'principle of presumption of innocence'.
A Kiwoom official asked Star News about Park Joon-hyun shortly after the announcement of the camp list, saying, "First of all, it is the first full-time season of coach Seol Jong-jin and coaching staff, so we set up the list mainly for players who need direct observation. Eight new players, including Park Joon-hyun, were included in this. "It's somewhat more than other seasons," he explained.
"As for Park Jun-hyun, there are no separate regulations or legal regulations that allow the club to impose sanctions on matters that occurred before joining the team. We considered this because the current situation is also ongoing," he added.
According to a Star News report, student A, who was a colleague with Park Joon-hyun, exchanged their intentions to "meet each other" and is coordinating the timing and method. In this situation, Park Joon-hyun first started preparing for the 2026 season. Coach Seol Jong-jin said he first looked at Park Joon-hyun in the camp and started as a bullpen pitcher, and is also considered a candidate for the fifth starting pitcher. Attention is also focusing on whether Park Joon-hyun will be able to end the controversy with proof of potential during this camp.
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*This content was translated by AI.
