A star South Korean pitcher pursuing a US major league baseball contract was grilled by prosecutors Wednesday over allegations that he illegally gambled overseas.
Oh Seung-Hwan, one of the most successful closers in the history of Korean baseball, was questioned for five hours, a spokesman at the Seoul District Prosecution Office told AFP.
South Korean law prohibits its citizens gambling abroad, and habitual violators can face stiff fines and even jail time.
Yonhap news agency said the prosecutors had secured testimony from the operator of a gambling salon for South Koreans in Macau who claimed that Oh was one of his customers.
The probe comes at an awkward time for the 33-year-old pitcher who is looking to join the US major leagues after wrapping up a two-year contract with Japanese club Hanshin Tigers.
Oh’s name appears to have surfaced in an ongoing investigation into South Korean gangs who operate illegal gambling rooms for South Koreans in Macau and Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines, Cambodia and Vietnam.
In November, the probe latched on to another star South Korean pitcher, Lim Chang-Yong of the Samsung Lions, who reportedly admitted to illegal gambling and was promptly released by the club.
The Lions had already struck two other top pitchers from their roster in October when they were implicated in the same investigation.
So far, prosecutors have indicted 14 gang members and fixers, as well as 12 businessmen for illegally gambling overseas.