Police are investigating allegations of illegal distribution of live rounds for sport shooters and homemade guns raised by People Power Party lawmaker Jin Jong-oh, confirming circumstances and detaining those involved. However, they refuted as untrue the allegation of a "closed-door probe related to President Lee Jae-myung."
The Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency's Criminal Mobile Team 2 said on the 22nd that it "arrested and detained three members of a group that illegally distributed live rounds for sport shooters and homemade guns on the market and is conducting an investigation."
In January this year, police received intelligence that "illegally distributed live rounds were being used during harmful wildlife hunting" and launched an investigation. During the probe, they confirmed the illegal distribution of live rounds for sport shooters and seized them, and they are continuing the investigation, including detaining three people such as distribution brokers.
Regarding the allegation that "more than 100 homemade guns and over 20,000 rounds were released on the market," police explained, "Since we have already seized a considerable number, the quantities of homemade guns and live rounds are unlikely to be large." They added that they are "currently checking" whether a former national shooting team head coach was involved.
A police official said, "As additional investigations into accomplices are underway, it is difficult to disclose specifics," adding, "There was no planned investigation linked to Representative Jin's claim of an assassination/sniping plot against President Lee Jae-myung; we opened the case based on intelligence about illegally distributed live rounds."
Earlier, Representative Jin, a former national shooting team member, held a news conference at the National Assembly that day and said, "Police conducted a planned investigation related to the assassination and sniping rumors about President Lee Jae-myung that were raised during the last presidential election," and argued, "Suspect A, in collusion with B, a former national team head coach, unlawfully provided 30,000 competition rounds to a homemade gun distributor, and I understand that these were recovered during the investigation."
Jin also stressed, "It is estimated that more than 100 homemade guns and over 20,000 competition rounds have been released on the market," adding, ".22 caliber rounds are small-caliber, low-recoil ammunition, but if they strike a major part of the human body, they can be fatal."