PPP's Yeonsu-gu candidate blasts rival's three drunk-driving convictions

With public concern over safety running high in the wake of the explosion at Hanwha Aerospace's Daejeon plant, People Power Party candidate Lee Jae-ho went on the offensive against his Democratic Party of Korea rival Jung Ji-yeol, targeting what he called a record of habitual drunk driving.

Lee issued a written statement from his campaign office Monday, warning that "the lives and safety of Yeonsu-gu residents cannot be entrusted to a candidate with no regard for safety."

"The Daejeon Hanwha Aerospace accident is a painful reminder of how disaster can threaten the daily lives of ordinary citizens," Lee said. "The single most important duty of a local government head is safety — first and foremost, protecting residents' lives."

He then turned directly to Jung's criminal record. "Candidate Jung has committed drunk driving not once, not twice, but three times," Lee said. "Drunk driving is not a simple mistake — it is a 'potential act of murder' that threatens the lives of others and represents the most depraved form of disregard for safety."

Lee said the repeated offenses spoke for themselves. "Doing it three times, habitually, is proof of how little he has respected the law and the safety of fellow citizens," he said. "How can someone who terrorized people on the road now claim to be fit to lead and protect the lives of 440,000 Yeonsu-gu residents?"

Lee said now was precisely the moment to scrutinize Yeonsu-gu's safety systems with the sharpest possible eye and maintain the highest level of vigilance.

"If a candidate who treats the law as a joke and regards safety as a luxury becomes district mayor, Yeonsu-gu's safety administration will from that moment swerve like a drunk driver and put residents in danger," Lee warned.

He added that handing Yeonsu-gu's future to someone with a habitual drunk-driving record would be like leaving a fish in the care of a cat. "I, Lee Jae-ho, will tolerate no compromise that threatens residents' safety, and I will make Yeonsu-gu the safest city in South Korea through strict rule of law and flawless safety management," he said.