Jang Yechan from People Power Party Raises 1995 Assault Case
"Dispute with Democratic Liberal Party Secretary over Views on May 18 Uprising"
"Apologized and Reconciled Immediately After Incident... Reported During Every Election"
Jung Wono, Mayor of Seongdong District and a prominent candidate for Mayor of Seoul from the Democratic Party of Korea, has admitted to allegations of assault from 30 years ago. Mayor Jung explained that he apologized to the parties involved in the incident at the time, resolved the matter through reconciliation, and has reported and disclosed the incident during every election.
On December 15, Mayor Jung posted a statement on his social networking service (SNS) titled, "Regarding the Article from 30 Years Ago Recently Reported."
He stated, "Thirty years ago, I had a dispute with a secretary to a National Assembly member from the Democratic Liberal Party (the predecessor of the People Power Party) over differing views on the May 18 Democratic Movement. In the course of this, I caused harm to the secretary and a police officer."
He continued, "This incident was concluded with a fine after being booked without detention. Immediately after the incident, I apologized to those involved, received their forgiveness, and the matter was resolved through reconciliation."
He added, "I accept this as a part of my life, and to this day, I reflect on my immaturity at the time and use it as a lesson learned."
Furthermore, he said, "This incident was made public through the media at the time, and I have reported and disclosed it to the election commission during every election."
Earlier that day, Jang Yechan, former Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, posted on Facebook, "A person who drank and even assaulted a police officer is running for Mayor of Seoul? Mayor Jung Wono, the person mentioned in this article is you, right?" along with an article published in 1995.
According to media reports at the time, the incident occurred in October 1995 at a cafe in Sinjeong-dong, Yangcheon District, while Mayor Jung was working as a secretary to the Yangcheon District Mayor. Mayor Jung, who was drinking with Mr. Lee, a secretary to a National Assembly member from the Democratic Liberal Party, got into a political argument and allegedly assaulted Mr. Lee and the police officers who responded to the scene. Mayor Jung was booked without detention for the incident and was fined 3 million won.
Regarding this, Jang said, "A person who drank and even assaulted a police officer is running for Mayor of Seoul?" and questioned, "How severe must the drunken violence have been to warrant detention? It is a disgrace to the country that President Lee Jaemyung praised someone who assaulted police officers while drunk." He added, "Should such crimes be excused as youthful mistakes, as some argue in defense of Jo Jinwoong?"
Meanwhile, Mayor Jung has rapidly emerged as a leading candidate for Mayor of Seoul following public praise from President Lee Jaemyung. On December 8, President Lee shared a news article on his SNS reporting that Seongdong District received a 92.9% positive rating in a 'resident satisfaction survey on district administration,' commenting, "Mayor Jung must be doing a great job. My satisfaction rating as Mayor of Seongnam was quite high, but it seems I cannot even compare," which drew significant attention.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
