Lotte's "Gambling Trio" Shave Their Heads and Bow Deeply: "We Felt the Weight of Being Professionals... We Are Truly Sorry to Fans, Colleagues, and Club Members" [Suwon Field]

*This content was translated by AI.

"We are truly sorry."

Lotte Giants players who caused a scandal over illegal gambling bowed their heads repeatedly before fans at their first official appearance in three months.

On the 5th, the Lotte organization held an apology press conference for infielders Go Seung-min (26), Na Seung-yeop (24), and Kim Se-min (23), who had been called up to the first team ahead of the away game against KT Wiz at Suwon KT Wiz Park for the 2026 Shinhan SOL KBO League regular season.

Outfielder Kim Dong-hyuk (26), who did not attend the press conference that day, visited a gambling venue during the first spring training camp in Tainan, Taiwan, in the early hours of February 13. The gambling venue was classified as illegal even in Taiwan, and the incident spread widely after CCTV footage from the establishment was shared on social media and online communities. After confirming the facts through interviews, the Lotte organization immediately reported the matter voluntarily to the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) Clean Baseball Center. At the same time, the four players were immediately recalled to Korea and placed under disciplinary restriction.

The KBO stated, "This incident occurred despite multiple warnings given before the camp regarding the use of casinos and gambling-related establishments, making severe punishment inevitable." As a result, Kim Dong-hyuk, who visited the venue three times, was suspended for 50 games, while Go Seung-min, Na Seung-yeop, and Kim Se-min each received 30-game suspensions. The Lotte organization accepted the KBO's decision and imposed disciplinary action on the team's representative director, general manager, and front office managers for negligence in player management.

This was the 31st game since the incident. Before the game, the three players appeared before reporters and said, "We sincerely apologize for causing such a controversy before the season. We are truly sorry to our teammates, fans, coaches, and manager. Through this incident, we have felt the weight of being professionals. We will strive to become better people first and foremost as baseball players and move forward." They bowed 90 degrees in apology.

Prior to the official KBO sanctions, the Lotte organization excluded the four players from all training and placed them under disciplinary restriction. After the official sanctions were announced, they joined the Dream Team (third team and rehabilitation squad) and waited quietly for their return while playing against university teams.

When asked by reporters about their feelings during this period, Go Seung-min replied, "We only felt sorry for our fans and teammates. Our minds went blank as we wondered what to do, but we came to the field to greet everyone and will work hard to do our best."

Na Seung-yeop said, "We were extremely sorry to our fans, staff, manager, and coaches. Even while coming back, we reflected on our actions and prepared diligently." Kim Se-min added, "We felt deeply sorry to everyone and worked hard to prepare so we could perform well upon our return."

They demonstrated their resolve through their short haircuts. The players took the initiative to show their determination. Go Seung-min emphasized, "Many fans came to support us, and to reflect on our mistakes and focus more on baseball, we decided to cut our hair and made a firm pledge."

Lotte's Kim Tae-hyung, the manager, personally verified their resolve by traveling all the way to Gimhae Sangdong, which allowed them to return immediately. Manager Kim Tae-hyung stated, "Regardless, the players made a mistake. Being suspended is not the end; they must perform well. Feeling sorry is natural, but the way to repay the fans is to come out on the field and play baseball well."

The players also understand that they must not only repay through baseball but also genuinely show their changed selves. Go Seung-min said again, bowing his head, "The manager told us to reflect on our mistakes and do our best. We believe that doing our best in whatever we can do is the way to convey our sincere apologies."

Na Seung-yeop said, "We will not cause any more controversies and will always do our best on the field from now on." Kim Se-min added, "We will become players who run one step further than others. We are truly sorry."

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*This content was translated by AI.