Former Lotte Giants pitcher Seo Jun-won was sentenced to five years of probation on charges of producing sexual exploitation of minors. Although he escaped imprisonment, he was sentenced to prison for a sex crime, effectively confirming his permanent expulsion from the baseball world.
On the afternoon of the 13th, Busan District Court Criminal Division 5 (Chief Judge Jang Ki-seok) sentenced Seo Jun-won, who was indicted on charges of violating the Act on Sexual Protection of Children and Adolescents (producing and distributing sexually exploitative materials, etc.), to three years in prison and five years of probation. .
In addition, Seo Jun-won was ordered to perform 120 hours of community service, provide 40 hours of sexual violence treatment lectures, and be restricted from employment at organizations related to children, youth, and the disabled for five years.
The court said, “All are found guilty based on the evidence. In addition, this is a case where a juvenile victim was asked to take a body photo in exchange for money, which was sent to the victim, and the victim was threatened. Considering the method of the crime and the extent of the damage, the guilt is heavy,” he said. “The period of the crime was only one day. He explained the reason for the sentencing, saying, “Considering that the defendant did not distribute sexually exploitative material, paid damages to the victim’s mother and reached an agreement with the victim, and that he was a first-time offender, we sentenced him to probation.”
Previously, at a trial held on the 23rd of last month, the prosecution said, “Although Mr. Seo was a first-time offender, he produced sexual exploitation material against the victim, who was a minor. He requested six years in prison, saying, “As a public figure, I should be a role model for society, but I committed a serious crime with great social repercussions.”
In August 2022, Seo Jun-won was handed over to trial on charges of demanding that the victim send body-exposure photos by lying as if he would give the victim pocket money in a KakaoTalk open chat room opened by the victim, who was a minor.
In addition, it was revealed that Seo Jun-won, knowing that the victim was a minor, sent sexually explicit messages on 60 occasions and had the victim take photos of her body on 7 occasions, and then received the photos and produced sexually exploitative material.
Previously, after graduating from Kaesong Middle School and Gyeongnam High School, Seo Jun-won joined the professional team as a first-round pick for Lotte in 2019, receiving a contract deposit of 350 million won. Expectations were high for Seo Jun-woon, who showed outstanding performance during his high school days.
Seo Jun-won appeared in 33 games in his first year alone, recording 4 wins, 11 losses, and an ERA of 5.47. The following year, in 2020, he was expected to appear in 31 games and pitch 107.2 innings, but he only recorded 7 wins, 6 losses, and an ERA of 5.18. Although his performance in the two seasons since joining the team did not meet expectations, he was recognized for his great potential, so Lotte also consistently gave him opportunities.
However, he performed even worse in the 2021 season with 26 games, 1 win, 3 losses, and 3 holds, and an ERA of 7.33. In 2022, he recorded the best results since his professional debut with 3 wins, 3 losses, 2 holds, and an ERA of 4.80, and the news that suddenly came in the offseason, when expectations for 2023 were growing, was enough to shock everyone.스포츠토토
In the end, the brilliant prospect was said to be a sex offender. The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) has currently suspended Seo Jun-won from participation. He avoided a prison sentence due to probation, but his chances of returning to baseball disappeared forever when he was sentenced to prison for a sex crime.