Busan Candidate Jeon Jae-soo Denies Direct Link to 'Unification Church Cartier Watch' Allegations

Busan mayoral candidate Jeon Jae-soo has directly confronted allegations linking him to a "Unification Church Cartier watch," asserting that any connection is indirect and based on a misunderstanding. Responding to questions on MBC radio, Jeon stated that while a record exists of his acquaintance having a watch repaired, the primary relationship was between that acquaintance and Unification Church officials, not himself. "It's that those people were closer to each other than I was to them," Jeon explained, emphasizing his consistent statements to investigative bodies.

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There is a record that such a thing happened, but it is said that those people were closer to each other than I was to them.

The controversy stems from a joint investigation by prosecutors and police that concluded the statute of limitations had expired on alleged bribery involving Jeon. While the investigation confirmed that a close aide to Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja purchased a Cartier watch worth 7.85 million won in 2018, and Jeon's acquaintance had it repaired in 2019, the watch itself was not recovered. This lack of physical evidence has led to the case being closed due to the expired statute of limitations.

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I have consistently stated my case to the investigative authorities, and the results are all in the investigative report.

Jeon Jae-soo has taken a strong stance against former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, who has continued to raise the "Cartier watch" issue in relation to Jeon's by-election campaign in Busan. Jeon has filed a defamation lawsuit against Han, warning that further accusations will likely lead to a harsher sentence. From a South Korean political perspective, such allegations, even if procedurally closed, can significantly impact public perception, especially in the charged atmosphere of an election. Jeon's firm denial and legal action aim to counter what he terms "clear falsehoods" and protect his reputation against what he views as politically motivated attacks.

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It is clear false information, and if he continues to speak about it, his sentence will likely be aggravated.