"I Didn't Know He Was a Minor... Lotte Pitcher Seo Jun-won Reverses Statement on Sexual Crime"

Seo Jun-won’s Side Acknowledges All Charges and Evidence
Accused of Threatening to Distribute Nude Photos

Former professional baseball pitcher Seo Jun-won (23) of the Lotte Giants was released from the team amid allegations of sexual crimes, and it has been revealed that he demanded obscene acts during video calls despite knowing the victim was a minor.

At the trial held on the 14th at the Busan District Court Criminal Division 5 (Presiding Judge Jang Gi-seok) regarding Seo Jun-won's charges of violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse (production and distribution of sexual exploitation materials, etc.), Seo Jun-won's defense attorney stated, "We have decided to admit all the charges."

At the first trial held on the 31st of last month, Seo Jun-won admitted to all the acts listed in the indictment but claimed that he did not realize the victim was a minor at the time of the crime.

However, at the trial held on this day, when asked about evidence opinions, Seo Jun-won's defense attorney changed their previous stance and made this statement.

Accordingly, the court plans to send an investigator to Ms. A for a sentencing investigation. The next trial is scheduled for the 19th of next month.

Previously, Seo Jun-won falsely promised to give pocket money in a KakaoTalk open chat room created by Ms. A last year and demanded that she send photos exposing her body. He received seven such photos and produced sexual exploitation materials. He also sent sexual messages about 60 times.

He is also accused of threatening Ms. A that he would distribute the photos exposing her body if she did not show obscene acts during video calls.

Seo Jun-won had been under police investigation since December last year but did not disclose these facts until just before being released by the Lotte Giants in March, drawing significant criticism.

Furthermore, Seo Jun-won was released from the Lotte Giants due to this incident, and the suspicious high school Choi Dong-won Award he received during his time at Gyeongnam High School was revoked on March 27. Subsequently, on March 28, the KBO suspended Seo Jun-won's participation activities based on Article 152, Paragraph 5 of the KBO regulations due to his indictment for violating the Act on the Protection of Children and Juveniles from Sexual Abuse.

The Seo Jun-won incident has sparked calls for emphasizing character education for professional baseball players. In 2015, Jang Sung-woo of KT was fined for defamation related to a private life exposure incident.

Additionally, earlier this year at the spring camp, Hanwha's promising player Kim Seo-hyun was caught gossiping about coaches and senior players and received internal disciplinary action. Fans are united in saying that it is time for the KBO to pay attention to character education on its own.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.