Jung Ho Kang apologized Friday and thanked Major League Baseball, the Pirates, fans, his lawyers and the U.S. government.
The statement released by the Pirates comes one day after the team announced that Kang received a work visa and re-entered the United States after more than a year of immigration issues stemming from a December 2016 DUI arrest in South Korea, his third such offense.
“After a long, painful process, I am excited to have a chance to return to the game that I have missed so much,” Kang said in the statement. “My focus is first on becoming the best person that I can be.