Alleged Kim Ha-seong blackmailer used threat of military service, lawyers say

Kim Ha-seong [AFP/YONHAP]

The law firm representing San Diego Padres utility man Kim Ha-seong said Friday that an alleged attempt to extort money from the former Kiwoom Heroes player happened while he was completing his mandatory military training in 2021, when any legal trouble could have forced him into active duty before he had a chance to join the MLB club.

Best Way, the law firm representing Kim, in a press conference Friday confirmed that the MLB star had lodged a formal complaint with police against a former teammate on accusations of bribery, according to the JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

According to the JoongAng Ilbo, the unnamed former teammate allegedly asked Kim for money to stay quiet about a physical altercation between the two in 2021.
The law firm also said that Kim has filed a separate civil suit against the ex-teammate.

“Exploiting Kim’s status as a military trainee, the former teammate demanded money as a settlement,” Best Way said in a statement. “Kim gave the player the money under the condition that he would never contact Kim again or do anything that would harm him, but the player continued to contact Kim and violated the terms of their settlement.”

Kim earned a military exemption as part of the gold medal winning team at the 2018 Asian Games. The exemption still requires players to complete a few weeks of basic military training, which Kim underwent at the start of 2021.

Any legal trouble while fulfilling that basic training would have canceled Kim’s exemption and forced him into active service. Korean mandatory military service lasts between 18 and 21 months depending on the branch of the military you serve in, meaning that Kim would have been unable to join the San Diego Padres until the 2023 season.

Kim played for the Heroes from 2014 to 2020, when he signed with the Padres on Dec. 31 of that year. He did not fly to the United States to join his new team until spring training, staying in Seoul and initially training with the Heroes at Gocheok Sky Dome in western Seoul.

The altercation between Kim and the unnamed player — who has now retired, according to the JoongAng Ilbo — allegedly happened at some point during the two-and-a-bit month window between Kim signing with the Padres and leaving Korea.

Kim reportedly paid an unspecified amount of money to the former teammate after the fight in Gangnam District, southern Seoul.

In the same press conference, Kim denied that he had physically assaulted the former teammate.

Kim’s denial comes after the former teammate shared photos showing bruises that he alleged were the result of being assaulted by Kim with some local media. Best Way said that it would also press charges for defamation.

Kim won the National League Gold Glove for the utility spot on Nov. 5, beating out competition from Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tommy Edman of the St. Louis Cardinals. He was also nominated at second base, but lost out to Nico Hoerner of the Chicago Cubs.

Kim was the second Korean to be a finalist for a Gold Glove, after Choo Shin-soo in right field in 2012, and the only Korean ever to win one. He was also nominated at shortstop last season.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]