Kia Tigers' manager Kim Jong-kook poses for photos during his inauguration ceremony in Gwangju, some 330 kilometers south of Seoul, on Jan. 6, 2022 (Yonhap)

Jang Jung-suk, general manager of the South Korean baseball club Kia Tigers, offered to resign Wednesday after allegations surfaced that he'd asked a free agent for a kickback during contract talks.

Former Tigers catcher Park Dong-won has accused Jang of demanding cash in exchange for a favorable deal during their negotiations during the last offseason. Park ended up signing a four-year deal with another Korea Baseball Organization club, the LG Twins.

In response to Park's accusations, Jang told the Tigers brass that he had only made the kickback reference in jest.

The two have a long history, going back to Jang's days as a front office staffer and then as the manager for the Kiwoom Heroes, where Park spent the first 12 years of his career.

And after becoming the Tigers general manager, Jang acquired Park in a trade with the Heroes in April 2022.

A Tigers official said the team will open disciplinary proceedings against Jang, saying that, even if Jang had only been joking, it was still an inappropriate remark in contract negotiations. (Yonhap)