Jung Ho Kang from the Pirates appears in court for DUI trial

Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Jung Ho Kang appeared in a South Korean court on Wednesday as judges began hearing arguments in a trial over charges that the baseball star fled the scene after slamming a car into a guardrail while driving under the influence of alcohol.

A friend of Kang also attended the Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday after being charged for falsely telling police that he, not Kang, was driving the vehicle.

Kang hit 21 home runs and 62 RBI in 103 games in 2016, but his second season in the majors also included an incident in Chicago in June when a 23-year-old woman alleged she was assaulted by Kang at a hotel.