Pirates minor league shortstop Ji-hwan Bae has temporarily left the organization and has flown home to Daegu, South Korea, in order to cooperate in a police investigation of claims by his ex-girlfriend that he physically assaulted her.

According to Sports Chosun, Bae’s ex-girlfriend, Seul-Gi Kim , filed a police report this week stating that Bae slapped, choked and kicked her. Officials at the Daegu Chungbu police station asked Bae’s family to tell him to return to South Korea to be questioned.

“Bae Ji-hwan hit me,” Kim, 18, told The Athletic on Friday via text message. “He hit me in Daegu. The first time I was (physically) abused was on New Year’s Eve (in 2017). There (also) was verbal abuse. Before the actual physical abuse, I was under critical stress due to him and his family. His family and he repeatedly asked me to ‘endure’ him because he is a baseball player and he needs support.”

The Pirates gave Bae, 18, permission to leave the team’s training complex in Bradenton, Fla., to return to South Korea. Bae could not be reached for comment.

“Ji-hwan Bae informed us that a former girlfriend in South Korea has accused him of domestic violence,” general manager Neal Huntington said via email. “Pursuant to Major League Baseball’s policy on such matters, we immediately reported this information to Major League Baseball’s Department of Investigation. The Pirates are cooperating fully with MLB’s review. Bae has decided to return to South Korea to address these allegations directly. At this point, consistent with MLB’s policy, Bae is permitted to participate in baseball activities during this review.”

Seul, who gave permission for her name to be used by The Athletic, first went public with her claims in April via social media.

Seul-Gi Kim , an ex-girlfriend of Pirates minor leaguer Ji-hwan Bae, posted this photo on her Instagram account of what she wrote were bruises caused by Bae. (Submitted photo)

Kim posted pictures on her Instagram account of what she said were bruises on her body caused by Bae. One of the photos had this caption: “I will find a way to take care of this problem by legal means.”

The alleged incident happened on New Year’s Eve in 2017. According to Kim, Bae “threatened me he would die if I didn’t see him again. Also, he squeezed my throat until I (said) that I would love him again.”

Kim said she did not go to the hospital or see a doctor after the alleged incident because she was afraid her parents would notice.

On Instagram, Kim wrote that she has been harassed on social media since she went public with her accusation. Her posts were translated by The Athletic contributor Sung Min Kim.

“Some ask why I didn’t report him right away — the intensity of his physical and verbal abuse was getting stronger,” Seul-Gi Kim wrote. “Because of fear, I just couldn’t go ahead and do it. What I want now is the end of this sickening relationship, a fair trial, and a just punishment.

“I have been pressured physically and mentally and that made me very scared. If you don’t have anyone reliable or good around you, you probably don’t have the courage to report the abuser. I decided to go to this path after a lot of dilemma and mental anguish. It’s a big (mental) scar that can never heal.”

Seul-Gi Kim recently made her Instagram account private. Bae’s account appears to have been recently wiped clean, as it no longer has any photos posted.

In March, the Pirates signed Bae for $1.2 million, the second-largest international signing in franchise history. He had signed in September with the Atlanta Braves, but was made a free agent by MLB when the Braves were found to have violated international signing rules.

Bae has been training at Pirate City in Bradenton in extended spring training while awaiting the start of the Gulf Coast League (rookie ball) season. He appeared in one spring training game with the Pirates in March.

Last year, Bae won the Lee Young-min Batting Award as the top high school hitter in South Korea. He batted .474 in 27 games for Kyeongbuk High School and bypassed the Korea Baseball Organization to play in the United States.

(Top photo credit: Mike Janes/Four Seam Images via the Associated Press)