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Reform Party leader accuses rival party of orchestrating candidate's 'self-inflicted' attack
๐Ÿ‡ฐ๐Ÿ‡ท South Korea /Elections & Politics

Reform Party leader accuses rival party of orchestrating candidate's 'self-inflicted' attack

From Dong-A Ilbo · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform Party, accused the People Power Party of orchestrating a "self-inflicted" incident involving a Busan mayoral candidate.
  • The candidate, Jeong Yi-han, was previously investigated for faking a drink-spiking attack during the local elections.
  • Lee suggested that involvement from the People Power Party would lead to their downfall.

Lee Jun-seok, the leader of the Reform Party, has accused the rival People Power Party of orchestrating a "self-inflicted" incident involving a former candidate. The accusation centers on Jeong Yi-han, who gained attention during the Busan mayoral election for claiming to be a victim of a drink-spiking attack, an act later revealed to be a fabrication.

I know who from the People Power Party approached Jeong Yi-han and made him harbor strange thoughts.

โ€” Lee Jun-seokLee's accusation of the People Power Party's involvement in the fabricated incident.

Lee stated on Facebook that he knows "who from the People Power Party approached Jeong Yi-han and made him harbor strange thoughts." He questioned why "fireflies are fluttering around" and suggested that the People Power Party was involved in fabricating the incident. Lee warned that if any candidate's camp made "strange proposals" to Jeong Yi-han, "you are finished. Really."

If any candidate's camp made strange proposals to Jeong Yi-han, you are finished. Really.

โ€” Lee Jun-seokLee's warning to the People Power Party regarding their alleged role.

Jeong Yi-han, a former candidate for the Reform Party, was arrested on July 8 after police investigations concluded that his claims of a drink-spiking attack during the local elections were a self-staged act. His alleged fabrication aimed to garner attention during the June 3 local elections.

Police and the Reform Party must reveal when they knew it was a self-staged act.

โ€” Han Dong-hoonHan Dong-hoon's demand for transparency regarding the investigation timeline.

Following Jeong's arrest, Han Dong-hoon, an independent candidate, criticized the police and the Reform Party, demanding they reveal when they became aware of the self-staged nature of the incident. Han argued that if they knew before the election, they should be held responsible for infringing upon the voting rights of Busan citizens. Lee Jun-seok, however, denied any prior knowledge, stating in a press conference that neither the police nor his party had officially notified him of the situation before the election.

We didn't know at all (before the local elections). The police also said they didn't officially notify us, didn't they? We couldn't have known.

โ€” Lee Jun-seokLee's denial of prior knowledge about the fabricated attack.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Dong-A Ilbo in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.