Man who kicked Jung Chung-rae's vehicle referred to prosecutors without detention

A man in his 50s who kicked and damaged a vehicle belonging to Jung Chung-rae, former leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, has been referred to prosecutors without detention. Police conducted a forensic examination of his mobile phone and other investigative steps but found no evidence of conspiracy or prior planning, concluding the act was impulsive.

The Yeongdeungpo Police Station in Seoul said Thursday it had referred the suspect, identified only as A, to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office on Tuesday on charges of property damage.

A is accused of kicking and damaging Jung's vehicle on July 20 at around 7 p.m. in front of the Democratic Party headquarters in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, as the former party leader was preparing to leave after a joint briefing session for a preliminary primary election.

A voluntarily appeared at a police station the following day and was questioned. Police applied only a simple property damage charge, as no weapon or tool was found to have been used in the act.

Jung posted on social media shortly after the incident, calling for "severe punishment" and demanding that anyone behind the act be "thoroughly identified."

Police conducted a forensic examination of A's mobile phone and other investigative measures to determine whether anyone had orchestrated the attack or whether it had been planned in advance.

"We investigated through multiple avenues, including a phone forensic examination, but found nothing unusual — no evidence of conspiracy or prior planning," a police official said.

Police declined to confirm whether A is a member of the Democratic Party or to disclose the specific motive, citing personal information and the sensitivity of the matter.