San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee detained by immigration agents at LAX Airport, team confirms
San Francisco Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee was detained by Customs and Border Protection agents at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday.
Lee, 27, who was born in Japan but is of South Korean descent, was detained for “forgetting documents in Korea,” the office of former House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi confirmed.
“Our office is actively working with the Giants organization, our Congressional partners and federal liaisons to resolve this situation and secure Mr. Lee’s release expeditiously,” a statement from Pelosi’s office said.
CBS LA has reached out to CBP and the Department of Homeland Security for a statement on the matter, but has not yet heard back.
A spokesperson for the Giants said that Lee has since been released from detainment after he experienced a “brief travel issue at LAX due to a paperwork issue.”
“The matter was quickly clarified with the appropriate authorities, and he has since been cleared to continue his travel,” the team’s spokesperson said. “We appreciate the professionalism of all parties involved.”
Lee signed with the Giants ahead of the 2024 Major League Baseball season. His six-year, $113 million deal, the most ever for a Korean-born position player, ended his seven-year tenure in the KBO League, South Korea’s premier baseball organization. During that span, all of which he spent with the Kiwoom Heroes, Lee won Rookie of the Year, 2022 MVP, five Golden Glove Awards and was named to six KBO All-Star games.
He has also represented South Korea in several international baseball tournaments, including the 2020 Summer Olympics and the 2023 World Baseball Classic. He is expected to represent his home country again for the upcoming 2026 WBC.
The Giants are slated to begin Spring Training for the 2026 season in February in Scottsdale, Arizona. San Francisco is also scheduled to kick off the regular season on March 25 with the year’s first regular-season game when they host the New York Yankees at Oracle Park.
In 187 big league games, Lee is hitting .265 with 10 homers, 63 runs batted in and 12 stolen bases.
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