Korea politician investigated for allegedly staging attack on himself during election campaign

The Korean police are investigating a former candidate for the Busan mayoral elections over suspicions that an attack he supposedly experienced during a campaign event was actually staged.

Jeong Yi-han, 38, ran for mayor of Busan under the Reform Party and lost in the Jun. 3 elections, finishing third with 1.56 per cent of the votes.

On Apr. 27, his team claimed that while greeting voters near a metro station, he was hit by a drink cup a man threw out of a car window, The Chosun Daily reported.

According to his team, Jeong lost his balance trying to avoid the cup and fell, and was taken to a hospital run by his father.

He was also diagnosed with a concussion.

Collusion suspected

After the purported attacker was arrested the day of the incident, he confessed to the police, saying he "committed the crime in a fit of rage".

Jeong visited the man after he was discharged from the hospital two days later and requested leniency for him from the police.

He was then seen returning to the campaign trail wearing a neck brace.

Through investigations, the police found that Jeong and the alleged attacker knew each other, and they spoke over the phone before the Apr. 27 incident.

The police thus began to suspect the two may have colluded to stage the incident.

While the campaign was still ongoing, the police investigated the incident quietly to avoid influencing the vote, The Korea Herald reported.

On Jun. 4, the day after the election, they searched Jeong’s campaign office.

Possible charges

The police are reportedly reviewing possible charges against Jeong, including obstruction of official duties by deception, dissemination of false information, and violations of election law.

The authorities also received a report claiming that the hospital Jeong was admitted to falsely diagnosed him with a concussion, according to The Chosun Daily.

After Jeong lost in the mayoral elections, he announced his retirement from politics and left his party by submitting a withdrawal request online.

The leader of the Reform Party Lee Jun-seok apologised over the police investigations in a Facebook post on Jun. 18, saying he felt "infinite responsibility", and pledged full cooperation with the authorities.