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There was such a big controversy that KIA General Manager Shim Jae-hak posted an apology directly in his name. Among them, KIA pitcher Jung Hae-young, who struggled the most with fan service, also posted a personal apology.


KIA held a Tiger Family Hanmadang event, a fan appreciation event, at Gwangju-Kia Champions Field on Oct. 28.

Controversy arose as some players reportedly made inappropriate remarks to fans amid a high-five event between fans and the team. It is known that he made inappropriate remarks about the appearance of fans and brought up negative comments about the high-five event.

In the end, as public opinion worsened in this regard, the KIA club issued an apology under the name of Shim Jae-hak, the general manager, on the club's SNS on the 30th. Since he is the head of the team Shim, who has always emphasized "fan first," he personally sent an apology message for the controversy over the team.

Shim Jae-hak said, "Hello, I'm Shim Jae-hak of the KIA Tigers' professional baseball team. At the Tiger Family Hanmadang event held on October 28, I bow my head to the fans who care for and love the KIA Tigers for their wrong words and actions."

"We held a high-five event with the team and fans to thank the fans for supporting us this season, and in the process, some players said and said inappropriate things as professional baseball players. KIA Tigers feel a heavy sense of responsibility and feel responsible for this issue. We deeply reflect on this, and we will do our best to create a culture that respects fans by working harder on ethics education for the team, which we have continuously conducted," he said.

Finally, Shim apologized, saying, "I would like to apologize once again to the fans who support the KIA Tigers."

Individual players also apologized through their SNS accounts. Kim Seok-hwan posted an apology for certain words he uttered and an explanation of the possibility of misunderstanding.

Jung Hae-young, one of the players who worked the hardest on fan service, also apologized. Jung Hae-young delighted the eyes of fans by dancing with Lee Eui-ri in a long wig at the Tiger Family Hanmadang.

In an apology posted on her personal SNS, Jung Hae-young said, "I received a video that said, 'It's hard' while I was doing a high five in the yard. After receiving the video, I post it after a lot of thought about whether it will make the controversy even bigger. "Even if it's a small controversy, I thought it was right to apologize if it was a controversy arising from my attitude toward the fans, and above all, I'm so sorry that this controversy has occurred from the fans that I've always treated with sincerity," he said, explaining the background of the apology.

Jung Hae-young then said, "First of all, even if there were other situations when I said that, I will not give any other explanation for that because it seems to be an excuse because it was from what I said. If anyone is hurt by my words, if anyone is disappointed, I apologize. I'm sorry," he said in an apology message.

Jung once again emphasized his mindset toward fans. Jung Hae-young said, "But there's something I really want to tell you. I've never treated my fans with sincerity for a moment, not just in this garden, but in any event or face to face with fans. As always, I tried my best to entertain you at this event, and from the beginning to the end of the event, I was really happy and grateful. As I've done so far, I'm serious that my mindset toward my fans will not change in the future. If anyone hurt by what I said contact me personally, I will once again express my sincere apology," he said.

Some players who made the most controversial remarks did not make an apology, but rather, it was ironic that Jung Hae-young, who wore a wig and danced in front of fans at the Tiger Family Hanmadang, wrote the most sincere apology. There is professional baseball because there are fans. Not only baseball skills but also attitudes and attitudes toward fans are included in the annual salary they receive. Some of the athletes who caused the controversy have to reflect on themselves.