Some pretty wild happenings over the past couple days here in Korea as a former baseball star Lee Ho-seong, who played for the Haitai (now Kia) Tigers during the late 80s/early 90s, was believed to have been connected in the disappearance of a woman and her three daughters, only to turn up dead in Seoul’s Han River yesterday. It is believed Lee committed suicide.

Here’s an excellent summary article from today’s JoongAng Daily.

The four women have been missing since Feb. 18. As for their safety, it’s not looking good.

From the Korea Times:

Police launched an investigation following a report from their relatives, and found bloodstains in Kim’s home. Through examining credit card and cell phone records, the police confirmed that Kim and her second and third daughters were at home together before disappearing, while her first daughter went missing after leaving her friends around midnight the same day.

Three of the families’ cell phones have been turned off since the day they went missing, but the third daughter’s phone was used once the following day near a mountain in South Jeolla Province, according to the police.

Lee spent his entire 12-year career with the Tigers, who are the most succeful franchise in Korean baseball history. He won Korean Series championships with the team in 1991, 1993, 1996 and 1997. His best season was in 1991, when he hit 21 home runs, had 84 runs batted in and scored 98 runs, all career-best marks. In that same year be became just the second KBO player to have at least 20 homers and 20 steals in the same season.

Lee retired after the 2001 season, opening a wedding business in Gwangju that failed in 2003. He also planned an off-track betting business that never took off. In 2005 he was arrested on charges of investment fraud. Two months later, he was released on bail, but was dodging debt collectors.
He was still facing fraud charges when he died.

Not a good guy folks.