Police in South Korea have opened investigations on 29 people, including nine current players for the Doosan Bears of the Korean Baseball Organization, for their alleged involvement in a scandal surrounding former KBO player Oh Jae-won’s drug use.
According to the Gangnam Police Precinct in Seoul, the suspects include 13 current or former professional players and a trainer for the Doosan Bears. They are accused of violating the Narcotics Control Act by supposedly getting prescribed drugs on Oh’s behalf. The other suspects involved include two hospital workers in Seoul who allegedly sold a large quantity of the drug Etomidate to Oh. A parent of a player from Oh’s baseball academy is also a suspect in the case.
Oh is suspected of using methamphetamine and psychotropic medications and threatening to hurt an acquaintance who was going to report his drug use. He was indicted on these charges in April and has begun his trial in which he admitted to most of the allegations.
An internal investigation done by the Doosan Bears found that eight players were involved in providing the sleeping pills to Oh. In May, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency discovered that five more active or retired players were also involved. It remains unclear what will happen to the players involved.
Oh was an infielder who played 16 seasons in the KBO, all with the Bears. He was a key role player in the team’s three KBO titles in 2015, 2016, and 2019. He hit .267 lifetime throughout his career.
Photo Credit: Infielder Oh Jae-Won #24 of Doosan Bears bats in the bottom of the fourth inning during the KBO League game. (Photo by Han Myung-Gu/Getty Images)
