After the KT Wiz outfield platoon was caught up in a bullying controversy, KT and the platoon quickly responded. They prepared for the game as normal.
The starting point was a post on an online community on the 16th. In the post, A, who claimed to be a victim of bullying, wrote that he was “beaten by Bae Byeong-dae when I was in school.” He also said that Bae Byeong-dae stepped on Myung-chi several times while punching him, and that the beating forced him to give up baseball.
On the 17th, Bae posted a post on his SNS (social networking service), explaining the details of the situation. He began by saying, “I apologize for the trouble I caused to my fans with the issue that was posted online.” He continued, “I participated in a training camp in Taiwan in 2012 when I was a sophomore at Seongnam High School. At that time, there was a team icebreaker led by the seniors in the third grade, and I, the sophomore captain, gave the juniors in the first grade an icebreaker. I hit the juniors on the buttocks with a bat three times,” he said.
“I apologized to the underclassmen afterwards, and there was no further assault or verbal abuse. We have confirmed the facts through the juniors who participated in the training camp with us, and many of them have expressed their willingness to come forward voluntarily. We sincerely reflect and regret that we uncritically accepted the bad practices that have been passed down in the athletic department.” “Initially, we tried to respond to the poster of the article with an apology and compensation, but we were unable to reach an agreement, and we will be in contact with the party through our representatives in the future,” he explained.
According to KT, the team received an email report about the allegations on May 15. The content was the same as the post on the 16th, and Mr. A demanded an apology from the team and a settlement. As Mr. A did not want to meet face-to-face with the team, club officials and a lawyer met with Mr. A as a mediator, after which the team reportedly delivered Mr. A’s requested amount to the team.
At the time, the team was still in the second team without a roster spot for the start of the regular season due to his injury, and after learning of the report, the team showed a willingness to resolve the issue directly, even delaying his registration for the first team. However, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement, and the victim’s settlement demand grew larger.
The club didn’t stand idly by. Following the KBO’s Clean Baseball report, KT met with the juniors who had stayed with the team during their time at Seongnam High School to confirm the facts surrounding the incident. According to their social media posts, there was a bullying incident under the direction of a senior, but they apologized and maintained an amicable relationship. A factual confirmation was also secured.먹튀검증
After the team’s apology, KT did not take a position on the matter and played the game as usual. They chose to “tackle it head-on”.
“I don’t think there’s anything to say about it,” KT manager Lee Kang-cheol said on Sunday before the team’s 2023 Shinhan Bank SOL KBO League game against the Doosan Bears at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Seoul. “I don’t think it’s a situation to remove him from the roster, and the KBO said it’s not something they can get involved in. I asked him if he apologized, and he said he didn’t,” Lee said.
On the day, Bae was named to the starting lineup as a second baseman and center fielder, and he struck out in his first at-bat in the first inning and in his second at-bat in the second inning on a fly ball and a grounder, respectively.