Eui-jeong Lee, known as the 'Son of the Wind' and currently playing for the San Francisco Giants, is in a difficult situation as he suffers from severe batting slump while also dealing with unexpected actions from his father, Jong-beom Lee, a former professional baseball coach for the KT Wiz.

The Japanese sports media 'Tokyo Sports' reported on the 28th that 'Lee, known as the Ichiro of Korea, has a new concern,' stating that 'Lee went hitless in 4 at-bats against the Chicago White Sox in an away game on the 28th, dropping his batting average to .248.'

Unexpected issues have arisen off the field as well. The media noted that 'Jong-beom Lee, a former KT coach, abruptly left his team at a crucial point in the season to join the baseball entertainment program “Ultimate Baseball” as a director,' and added that 'there is strong criticism in Korea that this act betrays his loyalty to the team.'

Last year, Jong-beom Lee, who received coaching training with the Texas Rangers in the United States, joined KT as a coach at the invitation of Kang-cheol Lee, a senior from Gwangju Ilgo High School and a former teammate from his time with the Haitai Tigers, starting the new season as the first base base-running and outfield coach. Under Kang-cheol Lee's consideration, Jong-beom Lee passed the first base base-running coach position to Kyung-soo Park in mid-May and focused on batting instruction with coaches Han-jun Yoo and Kang Kim.

Jong-beom Lee's irresponsible resignation has also placed Kang-cheol Lee, the director who brought him on board as a coach, in an awkward situation. Kang-cheol Lee requested Jong-beom Lee, who would be unemployed after 2023, to be appointed as a coach, but he left the team just three months after the season began, stating his intention to take on the role of director for a baseball entertainment program. Although Kang-cheol Lee said, 'I decided to let Jong-beom Lee go with pleasure,' he found himself in a difficult position.

In particular, the media cited Korean media indicating that 'there are criticisms suggesting that Kang-cheol Lee made an unjust choice, as he is a senior from high school,' and increased the level of criticism by stating, 'Leaving the team for a director position in an entertainment program during the season is almost unheard of in professional baseball.' Additionally, they analyzed, 'There are divided opinions on whether this choice is driven by a genuine desire for a real coaching career or simply for money, but the current atmosphere in the baseball world leans more towards the former.'

'Tokyo Sports' projected that 'due to this controversy, a comeback to the KBO may be practically impossible for Jong-beom Lee.' 'Eui-jeong Lee has been struggling with a deep batting slump, hitting .162 with 12 hits in 74 at-bats this month, while the added burden of the controversy surrounding his father is increasing,' the media reported.

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