Reform New Party Candidate's Alleged Fabrication Sparks Controversy... Lee Junseok: "Deeply Apologize, Will Fully Cooperate with Investigation"

Lee Joon-seok: "We Feel Infinite Responsibility as He Was the Reform New Party Candidate"

Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, issued an apology on June 18 regarding allegations surrounding Jeong Ihan, the former Reform New Party candidate for Busan mayor. He stated, "First, I deeply apologize to the public and to the citizens of Busan." Lee also pledged to fully cooperate with the investigation and to hold those responsible accountable through the party's own internal review process.

Through his social media account on the same day, Lee said, "I cannot hide my deep sense of devastation and heaviness in the face of the incident reported yesterday regarding the former candidate Jeong. As Jeong was a candidate nominated by the Reform New Party, we feel an unlimited sense of responsibility for this matter."

Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, and Chun Haram, floor leader, are entering the highest council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 18th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The Geumjeong Police Station in Busan announced that they have begun verifying the facts regarding the possibility that the beverage-throwing incident, which Jeong claimed to be a victim of during the recent Busan mayoral election campaign, may have been staged.

Lee stated, "If the information released by investigative authorities and reported by the media is true, this constitutes an extremely serious election crime that is almost unimaginable. It is an unforgivable act that exploits voters' trust and undermines the very foundation of democracy—the electoral system itself." He continued, "The Reform New Party will actively cooperate in every step of the investigation to ensure that not a single doubt remains. In addition, the party will launch its own fact-finding committee and, based on the facts revealed, will hold the former candidate Jeong strictly and fully accountable under both civil and criminal law."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.