Ex-baseball managers tight-lipped attending arrest warrant hearing

SEOUL, Kim Jong-kook, former manager of the Kia Tigers professional baseball team, and Jang Jung-suk, former general manager of the same team, attended a court hearing Tuesday on arrest warrants requested for them last week on bribery charges. They appeared for the hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in the morning but remained tight-lipped in the face of reporters' questions. Kim and Jang are suspected of receiving 100 million won (US$75,200) and tens of millions of won, respectively, from a coffee chain in return for helping the business sign a sponsorship deal with the Kia Tigers. Jang is additionally accused of asking a free agent player for a kickback during salary negotiations last year. Following a two-hour hearing, they were again confronted with reporters asking numerous questions about their criminal charges and intentions to apologize, but neither of them said a single word. The Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office requested pretrial detention warrants for them last Wednesday, and the Tigers terminated their contract with Kim on Monday. Jang was fired by the Tigers in March last year. Source: Yonhap News Agency