Jung pleads not guilty despite admitting to staged attack during local election campaign

Jung Yi-han, the former Reform Party candidate for Busan mayor who was indicted on charges of staging a fake attack during the June 3 local elections, acknowledged the facts of the incident at his first trial hearing Tuesday but maintained his innocence.

The Busan District Court's Criminal Division 6, presided over by Judge Im Seong-cheol, held the first hearing against Jung and his alleged accomplice, identified only by the surname Yun, on charges including incitement to violate the Public Official Election Act, publication of false information, and obstruction of official duties through deception.

Jung's defense attorney said the defendant accepts most of the factual allegations but denies the subjective elements — namely criminal intent and purpose. "We deny all charges in the indictment and argue for acquittal," the attorney said.

The attorney added that Jung fully acknowledges staging the incident and is "100 times remorseful," but argued the motive was not to boost his name recognition or approval rating during the election, as stated in the indictment, but rather to repair a strained relationship with his father. No specific details about the alleged conflict with his father were provided.

"If he had intended to link this to the election, there would have been follow-up actions after the staged incident — but there were none," the attorney said. "The situation escalated beyond what he expected, and in a state of panic and fear, he simply missed the chance to correct it."

On the charge of inciting interference with electoral freedom under the Public Official Election Act, the defense denied that Jung had any intent to obstruct the election. It also denied the publication-of-false-information charge on the grounds that he had no "purpose of being elected."

The attorney pointed to Jung's approval rating of 2 to 3 percent at the time, arguing that "it does not make sense that a candidate with 2 percent support harbored any intention of winning." On the obstruction-of-official-duties charge, the defense argued that Jung did not personally file a police report, and that merely making false statements to investigators or passively concealing facts does not constitute a crime.

The court scheduled the next hearing for Oct. 20 at 10 a.m., when both sides will present their positions on the evidence and the court will determine whether to call witnesses.

Jung was indicted on charges of arranging for Yun — an acquaintance of about 10 years — to splash green tea latte on his face and throw a cup and a boiled egg at him while he was campaigning near the Guseo interchange in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, on April 27, staging the scene as an assault.