Jang Kyung-tae and Lee Jun-seok's '5-Person Gathering' at a Bar... Also Reversed Their Stance

A scene captured on CCTV at a bar in Yongsan, Seoul, showing Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (yellow circle), Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the United Future Party (white circle, predecessor of the People Power Party), and three others drinking at the same table. Photo by MBC capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] It was recently revealed that five people, including Jang Kyung-tae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council member of the United Future Party (now People Power Party), violated COVID-19 quarantine rules by gathering at a single table in a restaurant with more than five people.

They explained immediately after the media report that they only exchanged brief greetings, but confirmation through the restaurant's closed-circuit television (CCTV) showed that they gathered for about 20 minutes until around 10 p.m., the closing time of the business.

According to CCTV footage released by MBC on the 8th, Jang and Lee, along with three others, sat at the same table drinking at a bar in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, around 9:30 p.m. on the 2nd.

After Jang arrived at the table where Lee was seated, he immediately took off his mask, and Lee and his party stood up to warmly welcome Jang. Notably, Jang did not verify his identity via QR code nor fill out the visitor log.

Even after the group reached five people, they continued drinking and conversing, including toasting. Although one attendee briefly left to use the restroom, they remained together until around 10 p.m., the closing time.

The owner couple and their son repeatedly warned them, but they continued their drinking gathering. Owner Mr. A told MBC, "At first, my wife went to talk to them, then my son did, but they still didn’t leave, so I went and said, 'Five people are not allowed.'"

After the report, Jang told MBC, "After confirming there were five people, I thought I shouldn’t do this and stayed for about 2-3, 3-4 minutes before leaving first," and argued, "Is it really a problem for four people to have a drink together?"

As public criticism surged, both Jang and Lee posted apologies on Facebook.

Screenshot of Jang Kyung-tae, Democratic Party of Korea member's Facebook page

On the 8th, Jang posted on Facebook, "I feel a heavy responsibility and reflect on the fact that this happened because I failed to be cautious while the people, small business owners, and self-employed are going through difficult times," adding, "I will never let my guard down on quarantine and will strictly follow the quarantine rules to prevent this from happening again."

Screenshot of Lee Jun-seok, former Supreme Council Member of the United Future Party (currently People Power Party), on Facebook

Lee also explained, "One of the group members is acquainted with Jang, so Jang joined around 9:30 p.m.," and apologized, saying, "Since it was close to the 10 p.m. closing time, what was supposed to be a brief greeting extended to about 20 minutes, violating the quarantine rule prohibiting gatherings of five or more. I am sorry for causing concern and reflect on this."

However, they denied reports that the restaurant owner's family warned them about the gathering of five or more. Jang stated, "I clarify that I left the place first, not that I was warned," and Lee said, "None of the attendees remember the owner’s family coming three times to warn us. Since the responsibility lies with the business owner under quarantine rules, if such testimony was made, I believe the facts should have been verified through CCTV before reporting."

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