Pittsburgh Pirate Kang charged with drunk driving in South Korea

SEOUL (Reuters) - Pittsburgh Pirate infielder Kang Jung-ho was charged with driving while intoxicated and fleeing the scene of an accident after a car crash in the early hours of Friday morning, South Korean police have confirmed. The South Korean was at the wheel when his car crashed into a guardrail in the Gangnam district of Seoul at around 2:45 a.m. local time (1745 GMT Thursday) but he fled the scene, a police official said by telephone. The 29-year-old's blood alcohol level was 0.084 percent, above the 0.05 percent limit beyond which a driver will have their license suspended, the official said, asking not to be named. Kang later turned himself in to the police for questioning at 5 a.m. and was charged without being taken into custody, the official said. Pirates President Frank Coonelly, who was himself arrested for driving while over the limit in 2011, said in a statement the team were aware of the "serious charges" filed against Kang. "We are extremely disappointed in Jung Ho and in his decision process during this matter," he said. "I know first-hand how foolish and dangerous it is to drive under the influence and am most thankful that, as we understand it, no one was injured. "We will have further comment once we have been able to gather all of the relevant facts and speak with the player." Kang played for nine seasons in South Korea before signing for the Pirates in 2015. (Reporting by Jeong-eun Lee, editing by Nick Mulvenney)