Won Hee-ryong on School Zone Speeding Controversy: "The Vehicle Was Not Driven by Me"

Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Won Hee-ryong is arriving at the transition team office in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 26th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Won Hee-ryong, the nominee for Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated on the 27th that "the report is not true" in response to media reports claiming that he had a history of being fined for speeding in a school zone (Seukuljon).

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport clarified in a statement distributed to the media on the same day, "The fine for violating the school zone speed limit reported in the media was not related to a vehicle operated by the nominee."

The ministry explained, "The vehicle in question is operated by the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province Disabled Sports Association (license plate 79su30XX), and the vehicle owner is designated as the Governor of Jeju Province, who is the ex officio chairman due to institutional circumstances," adding, "Therefore, any violation of related laws during the vehicle's operation has no connection to the nominee."

The ministry further stated, "The Jeju Disabled Sports Association operates four vehicles registered under the name of the Governor of Jeju Province (currently the acting governor)," and requested, "Please exercise caution in accurately verifying and confirming the facts before reporting."

Meanwhile, a domestic media outlet reported on the same day that during Won's tenure as Governor of Jeju Province in November 2017, he had a record of paying a fine for violating the speed limit within a school zone in Jeju City. According to the report, on November 7, 2017, Won violated the school zone speed limit at the intersection in front of Oedo Elementary School in Jeju City and paid a fine of 56,000 won on December 12 of that year.