Concerns about Jeong I-han, 38, a former Reform Party candidate for mayor of Busan, who is being probed by police for allegedly orchestrating a beverage cup attack, are increasing. In addition to suspicions that he staged a terror incident during his campaign for the June 3 Busan mayoral election, inquiries are also being made about his background. There are also growing calls from within political circles about whether the vetting process was insufficient for Jeong’s nomination by the Reform Party, which was established by Rep. Lee Jun-seok.
Jeong enrolled at David Hickmango in Missouri, United States, in June 2006, and later moved to Busan’s School A for his third year. It seems he intended to earn a local high school diploma. However, he left the school after it was discovered that his academic records had been falsified. The homeroom teacher responsible for altering Jeong’s records was investigated and ultimately convicted for this matter.
As per the ruling regarding homeroom teacher Mr. Kang, he recorded Jeong as fully present at school in the computer system despite Jeong’s absence. At that time, Jeong had left the country to enroll in the pre-medical program at Wake Forest University in the United States. The Busan District Court gave Kang, who was charged with falsifying electronic records, a suspended six-month prison sentence. The court noted, “Kang entered false information into the computer system to enable Jeong to obtain a domestic high school graduation record.” Although Kang was found guilty, he later became a vice principal at School A. However, the chairman of the foundation that owns School A was Jeong’s father.
Jeong’s father (66) was previously an ophthalmologist. He is considered one of the most affluent individuals in the Busan region. He founded a general hospital and a nursing hospital, purchased a construction company, and expanded it into a larger organization. Jeong’s father had also once aimed for a political career. He sought nominations from the Grand National Party (GNP), which later became the People Power Party, and the Saenuri Party, but did not succeed. He ran as an independent candidate in the 2012 and 2020 general elections but was defeated. In 2018, he acted as co-chair of the election campaign committee for Oh Geo-don, who was the Democratic Party of Korea’s candidate for mayor of Busan.
As a result, there are whispers within local political circles suggesting that Jeong, like his father, first intended to pursue a medical career before developing his political aspirations. Jeong left a pre-med program at a U.S. university and eventually earned a degree in business administration from a Seoul-based university. His wife and younger sister are also reportedly doctors. The head nurse from Jeong’s father’s hospital was selected as the Reform Party’s proportional representative number one for the Busan City Council in the June 3 local elections but was defeated.
Jeong held the position of secretary (Grade 5) at the office of a People Power Party legislator in Busan and worked as an administrative officer (Grade 5) at the Prime Minister’s Office for Civil Affairs. He also acted as a spokesperson for the Reform Party. Before the June 3 Busan mayoral election, Jeong garnered 2.6% support in a survey carried out by a research company. However, this company was a subsidiary of the group owned by Jeong’s father.
Police are looking into the possibility that the incident where Jeong was attacked with a drink cup was fabricated. On April 27, Jeong’s team issued a statement saying that while greeting supporters near Guseo IC in Geumjeong-gu, Busan, a man in his 30s, Mr. B, yelled, “What kind of mayoral candidate is this young punk?” and threw a beverage cup from his car window. Jeong lost his balance and fell, and his team mentioned he was diagnosed with a concussion. However, the police found out that Jeong and Mr. B were familiar with each other. Authorities are also examining why Jeong went to his father’s hospital, approximately 12 km away, instead of a closer emergency room right after the event. A report has been submitted to the police suggesting that Jeong’s father’s hospital provided a false diagnosis.
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