D-Report: Shocking Twist in 'Beverage Terror' During Campaign? Police Investigate Candidate for Alleged Staged Incident

The 'beverage terror incident' involving Jeong I-han, a Reform Party candidate for Busan mayor who ran in the June 3 local elections, is under police investigation following allegations that the incident was staged by the candidate's side.

The Busan Geumjeong Police Station announced today (June 17) that they are investigating candidate Jeong on charges including obstruction of official business by deception, dissemination of false information, and violation of the Public Official Election Act.

On June 4, the day after the election, police also conducted a search and seizure of the Reform Party's Busan mayoral campaign office.

In April, candidate Jeong claimed that while campaigning in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, he was struck by a beverage thrown from a vehicle window by a driver in his 30s, identified as A.

Jeong claimed he fell and lost consciousness while trying to dodge the object and was taken to the hospital, where he was reportedly diagnosed with a concussion and muscle contusions.

At the time, police tracked down the fleeing vehicle through CCTV analysis and emergency-arrested A, but an arrest warrant was later dismissed.

Subsequently, Jeong submitted a petition for leniency for A and returned to the campaign trail on April 29, two days after the incident, wearing a neck brace.

Jeong has since withdrawn from the Reform Party via an online system.

In response, the Reform Party's central headquarters stated, "We have decided to actively cooperate with the investigation," adding that they "plan to take additional civil and criminal measures once the facts are clearly verified."

Reported by Kim su-yun | Video by Park Na-young | Produced by SBS Digital News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.