'Pull-up bar man' disrupts Democratic Party convention: 'Why are they picking up strange people?'

A man in his 60s climbed a metal structure inside the Democratic Party of Korea's national convention on Monday and caused a scene, delaying the event by more than 20 minutes.

According to police, the man — identified only as Mr. A — scaled a 6-meter-high structure inside the convention hall at the Daejeon Convention Center in Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, shouting that he wanted five minutes at the microphone.

When police and firefighters moved in to bring him down, he shook the metal bars and threatened to jump, triggering a standoff. Fire authorities placed an air mat beside the structure in case he fell.

Mr. A ignored repeated attempts to talk him down and clung to the structure for about 20 minutes.

Police subdued him immediately after he climbed down and took him away.

As he was being led away, Mr. A raised his voice at reporters, saying there were no pro-Lee Jae Myung or anti-Lee Jae Myung factions in the Democratic Party and questioning why a religious sect was involved. "A reformist should become party leader," he said. When asked why he had torn a photo of President Lee Jae Myung, he shot back: "Why are they picking up strange people?"

At the convention, the party is set to announce its new leader and supreme council members based on a combined tally of regional primary results from rank-and-file members, a public opinion poll and a delegate vote.