Seo Joon-won, a former Lotte Giants pitcher who was sentenced to probation in the first trial for producing sexual exploitation of minors, reportedly appealed for leniency ahead of the appeal trial.
In a final hearing held at the Busan High Court on the 5th, Seo Joon-won reportedly said in a closing argument, “I am very sorry to parents and students who were affected by the wrong behavior,” and added, “I want to live hard in society again so that I can restore the trust of my family and others, and I will give and live with self-reflection and atonement for the rest of my life.” 안전놀이터
Seo Joon-won’s lawyer also said, “The defendant seriously acknowledges the crime and is trying to participate in volunteer activities,” adding, “I’ve only known baseball since I was 10 years old, but recently it was released by my team, and please consider the situation of not being able to raise my son after divorce and the fact that I agreed with the victim.”
Seo Joon-won was handed over to trial in August 2022 on charges of creating sexual exploitation and forcing obscene acts by receiving a body photo from a minor he became aware of through an open chat room on KakaoTalk, and was sentenced to three years in prison and five years of probation in the first trial in September last year.
However, the prosecution asked the court to sentence him to six years in prison. The prosecution also demanded six years in prison for Seo in the first trial.
In particular, Seo Jun-won was booked by the police at around 0:30 a.m. on May 31, during the probation period, when he crashed into a taxi waiting for a signal while driving under the influence of alcohol at an intersection in Gaegeum-dong, Busanjin-gu. At that time, his blood alcohol level was found to be suspended (more than 0.03% to less than 0.08%).