2 baseball players suspended for sexual assault allegations

The Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) on Wednesday suspended two players facing sexual assault allegations without pay, effective immediately.

Earlier in the day, police in Incheon, 40 kilometers west of Seoul, said two teammates for the Seoul-based Nexen Heroes are under investigation on suspicions of sexually assaulting a woman at an Incheon hotel. The Heroes are visiting Incheon for a three-game road series against the SK Wyverns that began Tuesday.

Police initially withheld the identities of the accused players, but the Heroes issued a press release later Wednesday saying pitcher Cho Sang-woo and catcher Park Dong-won are under investigation and have been taken off the team’s active roster. The club said it will fully cooperate with the authorities.

According to the Heroes, the two players denied the allegations and told police that there was no use of force or violence against the woman.