Jeong I-han, a former Reform Party Busan mayoral candidate who claimed to have been attacked during campaign activities in the June 3 local elections but faced allegations of a "staged incident," appeared for a pretrial detention hearing on the 8th. A decision on whether to detain Jeong and two others, including a person identified as A, is expected as early as late this afternoon.
Jeong arrived at the court in a suit at about 1:55 p.m. With a relatively calm expression, Jeong answered a reporter's question, "Do you acknowledge the staged-incident allegation?" by saying, "I'm sorry. I will make every effort in court to clearly establish the facts."
Jeong added, "I want to say I'm sorry, and I will do my best to faithfully cooperate with the investigation."
Police have continued investigating on suspicion that Jeong and A fabricated what they called a "terror attack" scenario during the campaign.
Earlier, on Apr. 27, Jeong claimed that while campaigning near the Guseo interchange in Geumjeong District, Busan, Jeong was struck by a beverage thrown from the window of a passing vehicle and collapsed.
At the time, Jeong's campaign said Jeong lost consciousness after trying to dodge the drink, was taken to a hospital, and was diagnosed with a concussion and a muscle contusion.
However, since the incident, police have examined the relationship between Jeong and A, whether they contacted each other before and after the incident, and the possibility of collusion. A is known as a gym trainer and director acquainted with Jeong.
Jeong ran in the Busan mayoral race in the June 3 local elections and received 27,418 votes. The vote share was 1.56%, the third highest among all candidates.