'Retaliatory Driving' Substitute Driver Found... Lee Kyung's Objection Dismissed for Failure to Submit Proof Documents

Former Democratic Party spokesperson Lee Kyung, who was indicted on charges of retaliatory driving and sentenced to a fine, filed an objection against the party's disqualification ruling for nomination but was dismissed. Lee claimed that he was not driving at the time of the incident and that there was a substitute driver, but reportedly did not submit any documents to prove this.

The Democratic Party announced on the 3rd that on the afternoon of the 1st, the party's Objection Review Committee held a closed full meeting and reviewed Lee's objection, ultimately dismissing it. Lee had expressed his intention to run for the Daejeon Yuseong district in this general election but was deemed ineligible during the preliminary candidate screening. This was because he was sentenced to a fine in the first trial for retaliatory driving and did not inform the party of the ongoing trial until media reports surfaced.

Lee Kyung, former senior deputy spokesperson of the Democratic Party of Korea

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Lee insisted on his innocence, stating that he was not driving on the day he was accused of retaliatory driving. He publicly searched for the substitute driver who was driving the car at the time by putting up a banner in front of the National Assembly. Later, Lee submitted an objection to the party's Objection Review Committee, claiming he had found 'Mr. A, a 16-year veteran male substitute driver,' who could prove his innocence.

The Objection Review Committee reviewed the documents three times from the 18th of last month to the 2nd and judged that it was difficult to accept Lee's claims, thus dismissing the objection. The party requested Lee to supplement the documents by submitting a certified letter from the substitute driver’s agency to which Mr. A belonged, in addition to the statement of facts, but Lee reportedly failed to submit it within the deadline.

Earlier, on the 18th, Lee wrote on Facebook, "On the 16th, with a lawyer present, the substitute driver prepared a statement confirming that he was driving." He added, "From January 6 to 12, the substitute driver called the party nearly 20 times," and said, "Even though I was unreachable for seven days despite contacting the party and the National Assembly, I am grateful to the party official who finally enabled communication with me." He continued, "I am thankful to those who scolded me to do my best until the end and even put up banners searching for the substitute driver," and added, "I will steadfastly continue to work with the Democratic Party."

Lee is accused of repeatedly braking abruptly to express dissatisfaction when a car behind him honked and flashed high beams on a road in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, around 10 p.m. on November 12, 2021. Although he told the police officers on the scene that he was not driving, he later filed complaints against two police officers, alleging they had filed charges based on false information.

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