I even fed him a Lotte Hotel chef's special meal...' To the illegal gambling house that night

*This content was translated by AI.

"KBO even sent me an official letter." How far can you go to a grown adult... A baseball fan who defended "You can play when you're resting" also gets tired

The Lotte Giants illegal gambling scandal, which erupted ahead of the New Year's holiday, has hardly died down.

On the 13th, a CCTV photo released by a person believed to be a Taiwanese fan on an SNS (social network service). In the photo, men believed to be Lotte players were seen sitting in what appeared to be a gambling place. In particular, the controversy grew as a scene in which one person touched a certain body part of a waitress was revealed.

As a result of checking the facts, Lotte players were right. After conducting a face-to-face survey with players in Taiwan on the 13th, Lotte issued an official statement that evening and bowed its head. The Lotte club said, "First of all, I apologize for the concern caused by the team-related content. "We confirmed that Na Seung-yeop, Ko Seung-min, Kim Dong-hyuk, and Kim Se-min, who were confirmed as a result of interviews with players and finding facts, visited places classified as illegal in the country," he said.

It is presumed that the sexual harassment, which was the biggest controversy, was not true. According to Taiwan's Tainan City Government Police Department's Sixth Division, no reports of sexual harassment have been received so far. The Taiwanese media Sanli News, which dealt with this fact, said, "There are no victims of sexual harassment. "If the parties concerned submit a complaint, we will immediately launch an investigation," he said instead of the police.

For now, the controversy over sexual harassment has ended, but the fact that he visited an illegal gambling center on a break day itself was news that even fans who had been waiting for Lotte's good performance in the 2026 season were exhausted. On the online community, some baseball fans defended the controversy, saying, "Isn't it possible for players to play when they rest?" and "Players may not have known." On the CCTV footage released, some of the players were recognizable to fans, so the fact that they went to the arcade itself could not be denied.

However, fans gradually lost their words as local media raised suspicions that gambling was illegal in Taiwan and that the workplace had established illegal gambling facilities in the legal game hall. The timing of the visit to the business was also disappointing to fans. According to local media in Taiwan, the gambling incident occurred around 2 a.m. on the 12th. A few hours before that, the evening of the 11th was when Lotte Group sent a five-star hotel chef to provide a special dinner for the players who were tired of training.

On the 9th, Lotte Group dispatched Chef Seo Seung-soo, the head of the Korean cuisine cooking function, to Taiwan, who is currently working at Lotte Hotel Busan, a five-star hotel. Chef Seo Seung-soo inspected the spring camp cooking facilities used by the players on the 10th, and even made a special meal including Beijing Duck and Steamed Beef Ribs on the 11th. It was a special consideration that was not easily seen by other clubs. However, the four players failed to meet the expectations as they headed to a nearby arcade instead of getting enough sleep and rest.

Of course, players can also rest at their own convenience on rest days. However, the deviation of some players who have forgotten their position as the beloved professional players of 12 million people is overshadowing such claims.

There is also a self-deprecating response to when and how far grown adults should be controlled. Moreover, it came at a time when the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) made a special request. According to a recently released February team correspondence, KBO wanted to show an exemplary attitude to the players under the title of "We ask for special attention to prevent any damage to dignity during the spring camp."

Among the contents, it is specifically emphasized that "Entrance of casinos and pachinkos, drinking outside until late, and inappropriate use of SNS can damage dignity as a professional baseball player," turning some of the fanmasters that were advocating.

The correspondence clearly states that "gambling activities such as illegal Internet gambling are suspended for more than one month under KBO regulations, suspension of participation for more than 30 games, and sanctions of more than 3 million won," so the excuse that the players did not know does not work.

This is why Lotte club immediately took four players home and warned of strong punishment. "Regardless of the reason, the Lotte team will immediately return home four players who committed acts contrary to the KBO and the club's internal rules. In addition, we will immediately report it to the KBO Clean Baseball Center and the club will take corresponding measures depending on the results.

"The club feels the current situation seriously, and we will sternly deal with additional confirmations through a full investigation. He also warned the entire team. I apologize again for causing a stir," he said again.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.