Perpetrators: Men in Their 60s and 70s
Police Confirm Charges After Discussions with the Election Commission
Amid reports that Lee Cheon-su, the chairman of the support committee for People Power Party candidate and former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong in the April 10 general election for Incheon Gyeyang-eul, was assaulted and threatened during election campaigning, CCTV footage capturing the incident has been released.
On the 8th, the Incheon Gyeyang Police Station announced that after analyzing CCTV footage from around the scene, including Gyeyang Station on Incheon Subway Line 1, they identified two suspects: a man in his 60s, Mr. A, and a man in his 70s, Mr. B, as the perpetrators of the assault and threats against Mr. Lee.
Mr. A is accused of assaulting Mr. Lee at Gyeyang Station at around 7:28 a.m. the previous day. The CCTV footage shows Mr. A approaching former Minister Won, shaking his hand, then striking Mr. Lee’s thigh with his knee. Even as Mr. Lee tried to restrain Mr. A by holding his hands with both of his own, Mr. A raised his knee again in an attempt to assault him.
Mr. B is accused of threatening Mr. Lee with a drill at around 2 p.m. the same day on the roadside in Imhak-dong, Gyeyang-gu. While wandering with the drill in hand, Mr. B grabbed and pulled Mr. Lee, placing his finger on the drill’s switch and aiming it at Mr. Lee’s abdomen. At the time, he reportedly threatened Mr. Lee, saying, "I didn’t expect this from you, I’m disappointed," and "I know where your wife and daughters live, so be careful."
Following the incident, former Minister Won Hee-ryong posted about it on his Facebook page. Describing the situation, he wrote, "This is a clear crime. It is absolutely unacceptable, and I will never tolerate it," adding, "I feel ashamed on behalf of Lee Cheon-su, who was assaulted and threatened. I will take every possible measure to ensure this never happens again."
The police have provisionally booked Mr. A and Mr. B without detention on charges of interfering with the freedom of election under the Public Official Election Act, and plan to summon them soon as suspects to investigate the exact circumstances of the incident. The charges are expected to be finalized after consultation with the National Election Commission.
Since last month, Mr. Lee has been serving as the chairman of the support committee for former Minister Won, assisting him. Having spent his school years in Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, he played for Incheon United from 2013 and ended his active career with the same club in 2015. He first met former Minister Won in 2016 when he visited the Jeju Girls’ High School soccer team, which was at a crossroads due to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s suspension of support, to encourage them.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
