Police Request Arrest Warrant for 60s Man Who Threw Metal Bowl at Lee Jae-myung

Lee Jae-myung, the General Election Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, is greeting citizens while touring the Gyulhyeon-dong area in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon Metropolitan City on the 20th. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] The police have decided to apply for an arrest warrant for a man in his 60s who threw a metal bowl at Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party candidate running in the Incheon Gyeyang-eul by-election for the National Assembly.

On the 21st, the Incheon Gyeyang Police Station announced that it plans to apply for an arrest warrant for Mr. A, a man in his 60s who was arrested on charges of election interference under the Public Official Election Act.

Mr. A is accused of throwing a metal bowl at candidate Lee, who was walking on the sidewalk outside a building in Gyeyang-gu, Gyesan-dong, Incheon, at around 9:35 p.m. the previous day, thereby disrupting the election campaign.

It was investigated that Mr. A, who was having drinks with acquaintances on the first-floor outdoor terrace, threw a stainless steel bowl used for chicken bones when Lee's campaign team passed in front of the restaurant.

He reportedly told the police, "It was noisy because the candidate was passing by," and "I was drinking and felt bad, so I did it."

According to the investigation, Mr. A was not affiliated with or a supporter of any particular political party, and the crime scene was identified as the first floor, not the second floor of the building as initially reported.

At the time, candidate Lee was conducting a street campaign with Yoon Hwan, the candidate for Gyeyang District Mayor, and Jo Deok-je, the candidate for district council member. Supporters and young students were nearby, but fortunately, there were no injuries.

The pre-arrest detention hearing for Mr. A is scheduled to be held at the Incheon District Court as early as the 22nd.

A police official stated, "We judged that acts interfering with election campaigns under current law should be dealt with strictly, so we decided to apply for an arrest warrant," adding, "For now, it appears that Mr. A's act was not premeditated."

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