Father of Lee Hyun Jeong, Suspect in 'Fake Attack' Case, Remains Silent on Alleged Election Involvement

Geun Jeong, Director of On Hospital Group, Appears in Court
Remains Silent to Questions and Leaves with His Lawyers

While Lee Hyun Jeong, former Busan mayoral candidate from the Reform New Party, is in custody on suspicion of orchestrating a fake attack, his father, Geun Jeong, Director of On Hospital Group, appeared in court in connection with his son's actions.

Yonhap News Agency

On July 15, Director Jeong appeared as a defendant at the Busan High Court in an appeal hearing regarding a violation of the Local Education Autonomy Act. When reporters asked if he had prior knowledge of his son's crime, he briefly replied, "It was all reported in the media, as you saw." He remained silent to further questions about when he learned of his son's actions, and his stance on the allegations that On Group affiliates’ employees were mobilized for election purposes, and then left the court accompanied by his lawyers.

The police are currently investigating how On Group, operated by Director Jeong, may have been involved in the election of the former candidate Jeong. Authorities are verifying suspicions that, both before and during the election campaign, members of Jeong's camp instructed On Group affiliate employees to post supportive comments online for the candidate and directed them to join political parties.

Additionally, the police are investigating why Jeong's approval ratings were exceptionally high in polls conducted by Barometer Public Opinion Research Institute, identified as an affiliate of On Group, during the election period.

This incident has also sparked renewed controversy regarding the so-called "father’s privilege" allegedly provided by school foundations and hospitals operated by the former candidate’s father. Former candidate Jeong had transferred from a U.S. high school to a high school under a school foundation where his father served as chairman. At that time, his homeroom teacher was convicted of falsifying the student's academic record.

Furthermore, in this recent local election, the Reform New Party’s Busan chapter nominated an On Hospital Group employee as a proportional representative candidate for the Busan Metropolitan Council. After the election, a member of Jeong’s campaign reportedly obtained employment at the hospital, fueling further controversy. There is also growing suspicion over the circumstances in which former candidate Jeong, who claimed to have lost consciousness at the time of the attack, was transferred not to a nearby hospital but to his father’s hospital located approximately 12 kilometers away, as well as over subsequent issuance of medical records.

Meanwhile, on this day, the Busan High Court’s Criminal Division 2 (Presiding Judge Park Woonsam) held an appeal trial for Director Jeong, who was indicted for mobilizing hospital staff to campaign for a specific candidate during the Busan Superintendent of Education by-election last year. In the first trial, Director Jeong was fined 4 million won, and he appealed the verdict, citing unfair sentencing and requesting leniency.

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