▲ Photo released by Jung Yi-han's campaign at the time
It has been confirmed that the police have launched an investigation into allegations that the "drink attack" incident during a campaign rally involving Jung Yi-han, the Reform Party candidate who ran in the June 3 local elections for Busan mayor, was a staged event orchestrated by the candidate's side.
The Busan Geumjeong Police Station stated today (June 17) that they are investigating Jung on charges including obstruction of justice by deception, dissemination of false information, and violation of the Public Official Election Act.
However, the police stated that they cannot disclose specific details of the investigation at this time.
On June 4, the day after the election, police executed a search and seizure warrant at the office that served as the campaign headquarters for the Reform Party's Busan mayoral candidate.
On April 27, Jung claimed that while campaigning in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, he was struck by a drink thrown from a vehicle window by a driver in his 30s, identified as A.
Jung reportedly fell while trying to dodge the object, lost consciousness, and was transported to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and muscle contusions.
At the time, the police tracked down the fleeing vehicle through CCTV analysis and emergency-arrested A, but the request for an arrest warrant was dismissed.
Subsequently, Jung submitted a petition for leniency for A and returned to his campaign on April 29, two days after the incident, wearing a neck brace.
It is reported that the police conducted the investigation privately, judging that it could influence the election, and notified the party's central headquarters of the situation immediately after the election.
Jung has since left the Reform Party through an online system.
In response, the Reform Party's central headquarters issued an official statement, saying, "Immediately after learning about the details regarding the former candidate, we decided to cooperate actively at the party level to ensure no suspicions remain regarding the investigation process."
The party added, "As a victim of this matter, the party is acutely aware that uncovering the truth is directly linked to our reputation," and stated, "We plan to take additional civil and criminal measures once the facts are clearly confirmed by investigative authorities."
(Photo: Provided by Jung Yi-han's campaign, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.