Pittsburgh Pirates

Report: Pirates' Jung-Ho Kang denied visa to enter U.S.

Pirates infielder Jung-Ho Kang has been denied a visa to enter the United States,

according to a Korean report and NBC News.

Earlier this month, Kang was placed on the restricted list by the Pirates while he is delayed in South Korea by visa issues related to a DUI arrest.

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Kang received an eight-month suspended prison sentence after the DUI arrest in December, his third in South Korea. The sentence was suspended for two years.

In a statement, Pirates' president Frank Coonelly said,

"A Korean news outlet has reported on a purported development in Jung Ho Kang’s effort to secure permission to travel to the United States for purposes of continuing his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates and added speculation regarding a driving incident in a “third country.”
 
The facts, as we know them, are that Kang still has not been granted permission to travel to the United States under a work visa.  We continue to work with Kang and his representatives to present materials and information to the appropriate parties in the United States government that we believe establish that Kang should be permitted to travel to the United States under a work visa and we remain hopeful that such a resolution will be reached in the near future.
 
We have no indication that Jung Ho has had a driving incident in a country other than Korea."

David Freese is likely to be Pittsburgh's starting third baseman in Kang's absence.

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Associated Press

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