Players and coaches of LG Twin
The country’s top baseball league has become the latest victim of a snowballing match-fixing scandal that came to light earlier last month.
Kim Sung-hyun, a pitcher for the LG Twins in the Korea Baseball Organization, has told prosecutors in Daegu that he accepted bribes from a broker to take part in spot-fixing in 2011. Kim Sung-hyun, 23, was taken into custody based on a testimony from a broker named Kim, who was arrested last week.
Unlike match-fixing, spot-fixing does not necessarily involve any direct attempt to influence the results of games. Spot-fixing in the Korean baseball league has its roots in illegal betting, where bettors can bet on certain aspects of games, such as a base on balls in the first inning.
Kim allegedly received bribe money from the broker in return for deliberately allowing walks during games in the 2011 season. While pitching for the Nexen Heroes, Kim intentionally walked a batter in the first inning during the game against Samsung Lions on April 24. He tried it again on May 14 during the game against LG Twins. For both spot-fixing attempts, Kim allegedly received a total of 10 million won ($8,900) from the broker, according to the prosecutors.
