‘Anti-THAAD’ Activist Throws Eggs at Lee Jae-myung... "THAAD Was Not Removed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] On the 13th, Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea, was almost hit by eggs thrown by an activist demanding the withdrawal of the deployment of the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) system by the U.S. Forces Korea in Seongju-gun, Gyeongbuk Province.

On the same day, Lee visited a Korean melon farm in Seongju-gun, Gyeongbuk Province, to experience planting Korean melon seedlings. When Lee arrived at the plastic greenhouse of the Korean melon farm, an activist on the opposite road threw two eggs at him. Lee was not hit by the eggs, but Han Jun-ho, the candidate's chief of staff, and two bodyguards were hit.

The activist reportedly threw the eggs while stating, "The Democratic Party government and the candidate previously said they would withdraw the THAAD deployment, but they did not remove it." YouTubers supporting Lee who witnessed the incident rushed at the activist, leading to verbal abuse and physical confrontation.

On the same morning, Lee held a 'National Town Meeting' related to local currency in Seongju, Gyeongbuk Province, and visited the Korean melon farm. However, he did not visit areas related to THAAD such as Soseong-ri. The controversy and conflict over the additional deployment of THAAD in Soseong-ri have continued for four years since the early days of the Moon Jae-in administration.

The Democratic Party announced plans to request leniency from the police regarding the activist who threw the eggs. Representative Lee So-young said in front of the Korean melon farm, "From the residents' perspective, since a politician from the central government came, it is understandable that they expressed their opinions in that way," adding, "Assault is a crime subject to victim's non-prosecution (a crime that cannot be prosecuted if the victim expresses a wish not to punish the offender), and all three victims who were hit by the eggs plan to express their intention not to press charges."

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