Kiwoom players accused of assault reinstated by KBO

Two professional baseball players, who recently avoided indictment over alleged sexual assault, were reinstated by the league on Friday.

The KBO lifted indefinite suspensions on Cho Sang-woo and Park Dong-won of the Kiwoom Heroes.

Cho, the team’s closer, and Park, its catcher, were accused of sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman at a team hotel in Incheon, 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) from Seoul, last May. The Heroes were in town for a road series against the SK Wyverns.

After months of investigation, prosecutors decided on Jan. 28 that there wasn’t enough evidence to indict the two.

When the allegations surfaced on May 23 last year, the KBO banned Park and Cho from all baseball activities indefinitely.

The Heroes had played 49 games at the time Cho and Park were suspended, and they ended up sitting out the final 95 games of last season.

Both had been key contributors for the Heroes, with Cho, a 24-year-old fireballer, in particular, having emerged as a solid bullpen arm.

Before the allegations surfaced, Cho was 1-2 with nine saves and a 3.79 ERA in 18 appearances in his first season as the Heroes’ closer.

Yonhap