Jung Won-oh’s side, “Political dispute related to May 18″… rebuttal through court ruling and media reports at the time.
The controversy between Kim Jae-seop, a member of the People Power Party, and Jung Won-oh, the Democratic Party’s candidate for Seoul mayor, centers around Jung’s past assault convictions. Kim held a press conference on the morning of the 13th at the National Assembly Communication Hall in Yeouido, Seoul, where he disclosed minutes of the council meeting regarding a 1995 assault case involving Jung.
In October 1995, while working as a secretary to the Yangcheon district mayor, Jung was involved in an altercation at a cafe in Sinjeong-dong, Yangcheon-gu, over a political issue with a National Assembly aide named Mr. Lee. Jung was convicted of assaulting Mr. Lee and responding police officers, earning him a 3 million won fine.
Kim claimed Jung, at that time, demanded an overnight stay with a female employee from the cafe owner and threatened the owner when he refused. He alleged Jung then assaulted a civilian intervening and also the responding police officers.
Kim argued that Jung, under the influence, assaulted two civilians and two police officers, asserting the disagreement arose from differing views on the May 18 Democratic Movement. He stated that the assault was entirely unrelated to the Democratic Movement, describing the incident as a “dirty ‘profanity’-related case.”
The council’s minutes revealed that Jung demanded an overnight stay with a female employee after consuming liquor worth 150,000 won, threatening the cafe owner when refused. Jung and another candidate’s aide reportedly assaulted a guest who attempted to intervene, resulting in injuries requiring two weeks’ treatment.
Regarding the police assault, Kim said that when two officers tried to intervene, they were attacked, resulting in injuries requiring treatment. Jung also allegedly engaged in self-harming acts on-site.
Kim questioned Jung’s repeated false explanations to the public about his past assault convictions and called for him to clarify his past actions honestly. Kim further emphasized the importance of examining the allegations for public awareness, questioning Jung’s qualifications for being a Seoul mayoral candidate.
In response, Jung’s campaign rebutted these claims, stating Kim’s assertions were false and one-sided. They referenced the court ruling stating the altercation arose from a political discussion with a secretary of a National Assembly member from the then-liberal party. The campaign also cited media reports at the time covering the aftermath of the incident, arguing Kim’s claims were only representative of the opposition’s stance.
Jung’s campaign shared the court documents and three relevant media articles in support of their rebuttal stance.