Lee Jae-myung Meets Perpetrator Who Threw Iron Bowl... "Hoping for Leniency" Petition Submitted to Court

On the 22nd, "Hope for leniency" followed by submission of a non-prosecution request for the perpetrator on the 24th
"Perpetrator's side conveyed an apology to candidate Lee"

On the 24th, the campaign team of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate running in the by-election for the National Assembly seat in Gyeyang-eul, Incheon, announced that they submitted a petition requesting leniency (a request for no punishment) for a man in his 60s, Mr. A, who threw a metal bowl at candidate Lee while he was walking on the sidewalk outside a restaurant in Gyeyang-gu, Gyesan-dong, around 9:35 p.m. on the 20th, to the Incheon District Court.

Photo by Lee Jae-myung looking after the metal bowl was thrown. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] On the 24th, Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate running for the June 1 by-election in Gyeyang-eul, Incheon, submitted a petition requesting leniency for a man in his 60s who was arrested on charges of throwing a metal bowl at him.

Lee's campaign stated, "Today (24th) around noon, at the campaign office located in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, the perpetrator who was arrested for throwing a metal bowl at candidate Lee met with him," adding, "The perpetrator expressed an apology to candidate Lee, and Lee once again expressed hope for the court's leniency."

They further stated, "Candidate Lee Jae-myung submitted a petition through a representative to the Incheon District Court requesting leniency in the punishment of the perpetrator."

Earlier, on the 20th at around 9:35 p.m., Mr. A, a man in his 60s who was drinking with an acquaintance on an outdoor terrace of a restaurant in Gyesan-dong, Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, was arrested on the 22nd for interfering with election campaigning by throwing a metal bowl used for chicken bones at candidate Lee, who was walking on the sidewalk outside the building.

During police investigation, Mr. A stated, "Candidate Lee was noisy as he passed by," and "I was drinking and felt bad."

The police noted that although Mr. A is not affiliated with any specific political party, his act of interfering with election campaigning must be strictly punished. They applied for an arrest warrant, and on the 22nd, the Incheon District Court issued the warrant citing "risk of flight."

In response, candidate Lee said, "Acts of violence and election interference are crimes that threaten democracy, and I hope that this incident will serve as a turning point so that such events never happen to anyone again," but also stated, "However, I ask for leniency just this once."