A Member of the People Party Says "I Felt Sleepy Riding the Campaign Vehicle"... Demands Investigation and Resigns from the Party

Drowsiness and dizziness reported even in campaign vehicles in Seoul area
People Power Party member says "Clearly a talented individual, must be revealed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Voices demanding a thorough investigation into the causes and circumstances of the death accident involving the People's Party campaign vehicle are growing both inside and outside the party, causing a significant stir.

A young member of the People's Party stated on Facebook on the night of the 19th, "I am leaving the party I love today," adding, "I repeatedly watched the party's briefing on the day of the accident and agonized over it, but I came to the conclusion that there was no other way than this."

He revealed that he had experienced a similar incident. He said, "A vehicle with the same structure as the bus involved in the fatal accident in the Seoul area was in operation, and a similar accident occurred. As someone who was also on that vehicle, sitting in the back seat, I personally experienced an unusual drowsiness."

He continued, "While dozing off in the back seat, the elderly passengers in the front seats complained of severe headaches, which led to the bus stopping and those feeling unwell being advised to get off and get some fresh air. However, I was so overcome by drowsiness that I was unable to move."

He added, "Fortunately, a campaign worker with a chemical warfare background sensed possible poisoning when seeing others staggering and smelling odors, and opened the windows on the bus roof. Thanks to that, I believe I was able to avoid a serious incident."

He emphasized, "Afterwards, the Seoul area campaign was ended early around 2 p.m., and I understand that the vehicle issues were reported to the party."

Along with this, he questioned, "The fact that there was a problem with the vehicle must have been communicated to the party around 2 p.m., so why did we have to lose Comrade Son?"

He urged the party for a thorough investigation, saying, "This must not be concealed. Comrade Son's sacrifice should become a step toward the 'safe country' that the candidate mentioned at the declaration ceremony. We must painfully determine what efforts we need to make and what parts we need to change."

Former Gyeonggi Province Chairman of the People's Party, Lee Gyun-cheol, who left the People's Party last year and joined the People Power Party, shared the member's post on Facebook on the 20th, stating, "This accident is clearly a man-made disaster," and added, "We must break the vicious cycle that repeats every election season and investigate the facts as the youth said, and reveal any responsibilities. Adults are truly sorry."

Recalling the situations during the 2018 local elections and the 2020 general elections, Lee shared the party's campaign vehicle management status. He said, "During the 2018 local elections, I was assigned to prepare campaign vehicles in advance for Candidate Ahn's Seoul mayoral campaign. I visited about 20 companies to select a campaign vehicle provider and carefully checked each company's information, reporting 10 companies to the party."

However, he suddenly received instructions to withdraw from the vehicle provider selection and choose a completely different company that had not been previously considered. Lee said, "The results were disastrous. Among Seoul's 49 constituencies, 25 vehicles were to be 1-ton campaign vehicles, but from the first day, there were reports of screens not working here and there, generators breaking down, amplifiers failing, and safety vulnerabilities."

He added, "Fortunately, there were no major safety accidents during the 13-day campaign period, but thinking back to that time still makes me shudder."

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